To Be A Family
by kratos lover1
Summary: Sequel to Lost in the Storm and part of the Storm series. Have you ever wondered what Zelos and Storm's life is like? Well, find out as well as the big news that Storm is hiding. StormxZelos, Shelloyd, and StormxYuan. COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1: News

Yeah, a brand new story. I hope that I can keep this one fairly light-hearted but you know how my stories go. It may not turn out that way. Anyway, this story is about Storm and Zelos and their lives after Lost in the Storm. Well, I really hope that you all like this.

Disclaimer: I don't own Tales of Symphonia, but I do own Storm. Please don't take her, she's all I own.

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Chapter 1: News

Storm was pacing in the living room, anxiously awaiting Zelos and her father's arrival. She was so nervous. How would they handle what she was about to tell them. She was truly afraid that they would freak out on her and she didn't really know how she would be able to handle a situation like that. She looked over at the nearby clock, wondering what was causing them to be so late.

It had been about a year since Storm's incident with Forcystus and the loss of her memory. She had turned eighteen not too long ago and she was very nervous that day too. She was so worried that when her internal clock stopped something horrible would happen. She was afraid that there would be some sort of pain involved, but when the time arrives she realized that it would pass just like any other day. The only difference was that she had been locked in her eighteen year old body for all eternity. She really didn't plan on living out that eternity but she was content with it for now.

Not too long after regaining her memory, Storm went on a mission with Yuan. The two of them traveled around Symphonia together for about five or six months. Within that time frame they became very close to each other, both learning things about the other that they never really knew. They became very close friends and Storm considered him less like an uncle and more as a good friend as of lately. 

Yuan and Storm were able to knock out any remaining ranches that were left, including some small ones that were being built in small, secluded areas. Their greatest accomplishment was killing off the last Desian Cardinal, Magnius. Storm and Yuan were happy to know that the Desians were now a thing of the past and were hoping that they were actually able to get rid of all the ones that were remaining.

Storm had been home for about six months now and was getting very settled in. There had been a long span of peace lately and she didn't quite know what to do with herself. So, instead of sitting around the house all day, Storm decided to follow in her father's footsteps and she began to do some mercenary work here and there. It was nothing too difficult. There were just a few monsters every once and a while and sometimes she'd see some bandits. Things were pretty easy for her.

Zelos had become the king's advisor and worked hard to make sure that Symphonia would be ruled fairly and justly, considering the rights of every race. Zelos and Storm were both local celebrities in Meltokio and were often considered the hot couple in the city. Of course, Storm had managed to scare off all of Zelos' fangirls and even her own fanboys, this allowed them to actually maintain a relatively normal and quiet lifestyle.

Lloyd had been getting closer and closer to Sheena lately and he was trying to work up the courage to tell her how he really felt. Storm often thought it was funny how he always stumbled with his words when he was around Sheena. Storm had never had that problem with Zelos. She had always just told him how she felt and things worked out well between the two. Then, there was Lloyd, the eternal swordsman who had enough courage to face Mithos and all of Cruxis, but who couldn't work up the courage to say those three little words. She couldn't help but laugh at that.

Lloyd had moved to Mizuho recently to help Sheena in her village. As the new chief of the village Sheena had a lot of pressure and responsibility to deal with and Lloyd had offered to help her. In turn, Lloyd received the honor to live in Mizuho and even train with the ninjas. Sheena was working hard to revive her culture in the new world and was also helping Yuan and the Renegades track down Desians that were still roaming in small groups.

Regal and Presea were doing well with the company. They had already helped rebuild all of the destroyed cities. Palmascosta, Luin, and Ozette had all been rebuilt, even improved upon. They were now spending all their money and time working on things that could be used to help out the new worlds. Their company had already had a huge impact on the lives of thousands of people, helping them return to a normal life. Presea was finally beginning to age again and it was evident as she began to hit what was puberty for her.

Raine was had joined up with a group of archeological maniacs from around the Asgard area on a tour of the many sites around Symphonia. Their goal was to find the similarities between the history in the Sylverant and Tethe'alla sections of Symphonia. Raine had received the invite to go on the trip and couldn't bear to resist. She had decided to leave Genis to continue on the journey to end discrimination. She would return once their exploration was over.

Genis had recently hit his growth spurt and was much taller than he was before. He had hit puberty and his voice had also gotten deeper as a result of it. He looked more and more like a powerful warlock everyday and the changes that he was experiencing were amazing to see. His magic had gotten much more powerful and he had become well known among not only half-elves for his efforts to end discrimination, but also around elves and humans for his skill with magic.

Colette was still in school in Iselia. She had taken a large interest in becoming a teacher for all of the young children of the village and had decided to work towards a career as a teacher. She would eventually take over Raine's position, but for the time being she was still in school trying to pursue her career choice. All of the children of the village loved her already and she couldn't wait for the day she could teach them.

Storm's father had moved to Luin to help protect the city that Anna was born in. He helped to rebuild the city and was determined to make sure that it wasn't destroyed once again. Sadly for Luin, Kratos had become lonely and was planning on moving out of Luin in the near future and buying a house in Meltokio to be closer to Storm. Kratos had begun to come out of his shell but he was still hard to break. Storm knew that her father was stubborn and that he would never be an outgoing and happy person. It was the same way that she knew that she could look happy and outgoing, but on the inside she would never feel that way.

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Storm was really nervous now, she could see Zelos and Kratos coming up the road. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on what she would say to the two of them. She wasn't quite sure how they would react and she was afraid that bad things could happen when they found out. She didn't want to shock either of them and she didn't want either to be upset with her.

Finally, the door opened and Zelos burst through the door with Kratos following behind him.

"Hey hunny," Zelos said as he wrapped her up in a large hug. "Now, are you going to tell us what was so important?"

"Yeah...you'd both better sit down," she replied as she motioned them to sit on the couch as she stood in front of it.

Kratos and Zelos both did as she requested and sat on the couch, looking up at her quizzically.

"Storm, is something wrong?" Kratos asked, concern apparent in his voice.

"Well...you see I have some important news," she began.

"Yeah, you already told us that, that's why I went and had Kratos come here," Zelos pointed out.

"Well," she said as she swallowed, her throat dry as she struggled to swallow. She closed her eyes and sighed before opening them, revealing her hazel eyes to the two of them.

"I'm pregnant," she finally told them.

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Wow! How will Kratos and Zelos react to that news? Next chapter will reveal all. I hope that this story reveals how Zelos and Storm treat each other. Hopefully I can get some funny scenes. I definitely need some Shelloyd scenes. Anyway, tell me what you think and review. 


	2. Chapter 2: Reactions

Okay, now that the big shocker is over I guess you all want to know what everyone's reactions are to it. Oh, and I put up a post on the forum about all of this so check it out and maybe reply or something. Anyway, on with the next chapter.

Chapter 2: Reactions

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Storm looked over at Kratos and Zelos. This was exactly how she was expecting them to react. She was a little depressed at the thought of both of them becoming upset with her, she never intended to end up pregnant.

Zelos' eyes were huge as he stared at her for what seemed like forever, he was obviously in shock. But what was even more intimidating was the look she was receiving from her father. Kratos was sitting there with huge eyes and his mouth gaping open. Storm turned a little red at the sight of the two staring directly at her and she turned her own gaze to the ground.

Kratos noticed what Zelos and his stares were doing to Storm as he snapped out of his trance. He looked over at Zelos, really wanting to kill the man, but he also knew that since they were married that something like this was bound to happen eventually. After all, it happened to Anna and him, twice. At that thought, he really wished that Anna was still around, she would have been a much better person for Storm to talk to than either of them.

Zelos was still in shock next to Kratos and Storm finally looked up to see him still wide-eyed and slightly pale. Storm didn't really know what to say to him, but suddenly he shot up off the couch and rushed over to her crushing her in a large hug.

"This is so great! We're gonna be parents! You're going to be a mom. I...I'm going to be a dad!" Zelos shouted as he continued to crush the life out of Storm.

"Yeah...," Storm managed to finally say, she was excited at how happy he was. She was so worried that he didn't want to be a father but he seemed really excited about the whole thing.

Zelos suddenly let go of Storm and looked her in the eyes with a worried expression on his face. He grabbed her shoulders and looked at her.

"Oh my gosh, we have to build a nursery, build a playroom, pick out a name, buy toys, buy clothes, get diapers, get a nanny, hire a tutor, enroll the baby in daycare, check out schools, and save for college...," Storm's eyes got wider and wider at everything that Zelos was saying. He was beginning to panic and he was getting a little overexcited.

"Zelos," she finally said, cutting him off.

"What?" he replied, his voice still full of panic.

"The baby won't even be born for nine more months, why don't we take things one step at a time for now. We won't be able to decorate a nursery until we find out if it's a boy or a girl. And college...let's focus on walking before we get that far, not to mention the baby can't go to college if it's not potty trained," Storm told him, patting him on the shoulder to relax him.

Zelos thought about what she said for a second. "You're right. Diapers aren't very good for finding hunnies, that is if it's a boy. If it's a girl...well, guys don't really go for them either," Zelos said.

"One step at a time," she repeated before giving him a small peck on the cheek.

"Okay, well we need to find a good doctor for you and then we can at least get plans for a nursery around. Oh, and we need to tell the others," Zelos said as he walked out of the room listing many more things that needed to be done before the baby was born.

Storm rolled her eyes at her husband. She knew that she had to tell the others about this as well but she wanted to tell Kratos and Zelos first. Zelos seemed to be taking it...well. Then there was her father.

Storm looked back over at Kratos, his eyes showing no emotion. He was always good at keeping his feelings buried so she couldn't see them, but she could tell that he needed to talk to her. She walked over to the couch and sat next to him, placing her head on his shoulder.

"Daddy, please talk to me about this," she finally said.

Kratos looked over to her and stared down at her. From where she was she still looked like his little girl, she still seemed in need of him. With this news it became apparent to him that she no longer needed him, she was all grown up. He finally was able to see her as a woman.

Storm looked up into her father's eyes, he seemed to be in thought and a small smile tried to form on his face. It was just slight enough that Storm could catch it.

"What's the matter?" she asked.

"I was just remembering the day that you were born. You were our little baby, so helpless and defenseless. Now I look at you and you're going to have your own baby. You've grown so much, you're not helpless anymore, you don't need me anymore," he said with happiness in his voice, trying to cover up the pain that it brought him to finally let her go completely.

"That's not true. I may be grown up and all now, but I still need you and I always will. You're my dad. You mean so much to me that it's hard to explain. Where would I be without you Dad? I wouldn't be here right now with the man I love about to start a family with him," Storm answered.

Kratos smiled happily at his daughter, knowing that she still considered him to be of value to her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sighed happily.

"I love you Dad."

"I love you too Storm," Kratos was able to reply. Those were strong words for Kratos, he would barely tell them to Lloyd and it was difficult for him to say them to Storm, but the feelings inside him were so overwhelming that he couldn't resist the urge to tell her how he felt.

After the two had finally decided to release each other from their embrace Storm finally decided to get up. "I guess I had better go and find out where Zelos ran off to," she stated.

"Yeah, he might have already enrolled the kid in college," Kratos laughed as he got up.

Storm couldn't help but laugh at that. She was about to leave the house when she turned back around to her father who was staring at her proudly. Storm ran over to him and wrapped her arms around him once again. Before she left she gave a kiss on the cheek, something she hadn't done since she was four. Kratos was taken aback by her emotions watched her as she ran out the door.

Bye Dad!" she yelled as she ran out the door.

"Bye Storm," he whispered to himself before placing his hand on the cheek she had kissed. Maybe her real emotions were finally coming back, after all these years maybe she could finally open up and be herself.

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Well, that's the end of this chapter. I hope that you're liking this so far. I'm trying to put some serious stuff in along with the humor. I hope it isn't too terrible. Tell me what you think and please review. Thanks. 


	3. Chapter 3: Grandpa and Uncle

Okay, here's the next chapter. I actually have a lot of ideas for this story coming to mind. Next up, they have to tell everyone about the baby. Of course, they'll have their own little adventures with each person they talk to. Should be funny, but don't count out the drama.

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Chapter 3: Grandpa and Uncle

"Great news hunny!" Zelos cheered as he burst through the door.

"What?" she asked, almost afraid to ask what he had done while he was gone.

"I hired an architect to come and design the nursery and the playroom," he announced proudly.

Storm laughed as she got off the couch. "Well, at least you didn't didn't enroll the kid in school yet," she said

"No, I decided to wait on that," he told her.

"And I thought Lloyd was a prodigy," Kratos muttered under his breath.

"What did you say Daddy?" Storm said wearing a death glare on her face. Kratos couldn't hide anything from her angelic hearing.

"Uh...I said that I think you should tell Lloyd," he lied.

"That's a great idea!" Zelos replied happily. "Wait until Lloyd and Sheena find out the great news."

"Yeah, and we can see if their love life has gotten anywhere," Storm added.

With that said Zelos, Storm, and Kratos all decided to make their way to Mizuho to meet up with Sheena and Lloyd to tell them the good news. Storm decided that she needed to get all of their traveling done before she was too far along.

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When they arrived in Mizuho they were all greeted happily by the citizens there and were quickly escorted to Sheena's house. Sheena and Lloyd were out with some of the ninjas on a mission so the three decided to wait for them to return.

"You know, this would be a perfect opportunity for Lloyd to make a move, but I bet that he won't," Zelos said.

"Yeah, missions are a great way to get close to someone. Especially since he's spending a lot of time with the same person," Storm added.

Zelos nodded his head in agreement at Storm, but Kratos was left looking at her with a raised eyebrow. He was trying to figure out what she was getting at. There seemed to be something behind that comment but he couldn't tell what. He shrugged his shoulders and went back to reading a book that he found. The book was all about the Kharlan War and he couldn't help but chuckle at all the things these types of books said that Mithos once did. Some of it was true, but most of it was exaggerated or completely made up.

Finally Sheena and Lloyd made their entrance and the entire group was excited to see the two. Storm ran to Sheena and gave her a big hug then ran over to Lloyd and gave him a large hug as well.

"Hey Dad," Lloyd said happily. He walked up to Kratos ready to give him a hug. He suddenly backed off, thinking that Kratos wouldn't appreciate the gesture. Kratos stared at his son and suddenly spread his arms apart to allow Lloyd to embrace him. This whole scene shocked Storm and the others, but they were all happy to see that the two had finally become very comfortable around each other.

"Hey, so what was the important news that you guys came here to tell us?" Sheena asked.

"Well," Zelos started. "Why don't you tell them Storm?"

"Well, I'm pregnant," she finally answered.

There was a long silence before Lloyd finally spoke up. "You don't look pregnant Storm," he stated as he stared at her.

Storm and Kratos simultaneously slapped their foreheads. Zelos walked over to Lloyd and placed an arm around his shoulder. "Lloyd, she's only a few weeks pregnant, she won't look it for a while," he calmly explained to him.

Sheena ran up to Storm and embraced her in a large hug and congratulated her. "So, Kratos is going to be a grandpa," she pointed out.

Kratos turned slightly red at this comment. Storm looked over at him. "Yeah. Hey Dad, that only took you over four thousand years to accomplish. Most people, it takes about fifty," she laughed.

Lloyd laughed at this. "Man, your kid's grandpa is going to look really young. Not to mention that Storm will always look eighteen, even when your kid is like forty," Lloyd added.

Storm and Sheena went over and slapped him in the back of the head. "Ow, what was that for?" Lloyd asked holding his head where they had hit him.

"For making fun of my baby. You're going to be the uncle who gets all old and ugly, how's that make you feel?" Storm replied angrily.

"You didn't have to hit me," he complained.

"Dude, just stop fighting. I get this all the time, just let them win and they'll stop hurting you," Zelos advised him as he led them away from the girls.

Storm turned her attention to Sheena who was all smiles. "Sheena, can I talk to you alone for awhile?" she asked her.

"Sure," Sheena agreed as the two went out for a walk.

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Once they had gotten to the outskirts of Mizuho, Storm and Sheena sat down in a field to talk.

"Sheena I wanted to ask you if you wanted to be the baby's godmother. You're my best friend," Storm asked her.

"I'd be honored," Sheena answered. Sheena looked over at Storm and finally asked the question that had been bothering her since she had seen her. "What's the matter Storm? You seem really depressed."

"Oh," Storm said snapping back with a happy smile to hide her feelings. "I'm fine, I don't know what you're talking about."

"You can't lie to me for long, something's bothering you. You can tell me, I'm sure all the guys haven't been much help," Sheena assured her.

"Well...I don't know...I guess I'm just scared," she finally admitted.

Sheena was surprised at what she had said. To her Storm seemed to be someone who feared nothing and who could stand up to any challenge that faced her.

"Are you afraid of childbirth?" she asked her.

Storm wasn't afraid at all about the pain involved in childbirth, she was sure that she could handle physical pain, there was something else on her mind. "I'm afraid to be a mother. I don't think I'd be good enough. Zelos will be a wonderful father, I can tell that, but I can't be a mother," she said.

Sheena looked at Storm, she had a feeling that Storm would doubt herself. Storm was always doing that to herself. Sheena placed a hand on her shoulder and forced her to look in her eyes. "Listen to me. Being a mother isn't something that you have to be good at, it just happens. You'll know exactly what to do when the time comes. You'll be fine, you always think about others before yourself, there's no way that you'd let anything happen," Sheena comforted her.

"I suppose, but I can't even offer any support, courage, or strength to my child. I can't because I don't have any myself," Storm told her.

"Storm, getting this far in your life shows how much courage and strength you have. You will be fine, trust me," she explained to her.

"Yeah, you're right, thank you Sheena," Storm said happily to Sheena.

"No problem, that's what friends are for," Sheena returned the smile.

"Is it okay if we all stay here for a few days, we have some things we want to do before we leave," Storm asked her.

"That's fine, but what do you need to do?" Sheena questioned her.

"You'll find out soon enough," Storm assured her.

When the two arrived back in Mizuho, Storm went over to Zelos and whispered in his ear.

"It's time that we get these two together," she told him.

Zelos nodded his head as the two went to the room that Sheena had prepared for them.

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Well, that's it there. I hope it wasn't too bad. I don't know how well I did on the jokes or the descriptions. Anyway, thanks for reading, please review. Next chapter, Storm and Zelos attempt to hook Sheena and Lloyd up. Should be funny. 


	4. Chapter 4: The Hook Up

All right, I'm glad that everyone is enjoying the humor so far. Hopefully, this chapter won't disappoint anyone. I had this idea and I just had to put it in. Anyway, thanks for all the reviews and I hope you enjoy the next chapter.

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Chapter 4: The Hook Up 

Storm and Zelos walked into the room Lloyd was sitting in shortly after Sheena had left the house. Storm sat on one side of Lloyd and Zelos on the other. Lloyd looked at both of them, noticing the ear-to-ear grins they were both showing off.

"What are you guys looking at?" Lloyd finally asked after being freaked out by their stares.

"You like her, don't you?" Storm teased Lloyd. Lloyd turned bright red at her remark.

"Wha...what makes you think that?" Lloyd stammered.

"Oh come on Lloyd, I'm your sister, I can tell these things," she replied in a matter-of-factly tone.

"Come on, admit it Lloyd, you have the hots for Sheena. I mean, I can't really blame you there," Zelos was about to add some more to the sentence until he noticed the glare that he was getting from Storm. "Oh, of course, she doesn't even compare to you hunny," he added quickly.

"So anyway, when are you gonna tell her?" Storm asked her brother.

"Well, I wasn't really going to tell her just yet. I...I can't," Lloyd replied.

"You just need a little help is all," Zelos assured him.

"Yeah, we can help you hook up with Sheena with us helping you there's no way you can blow it," Storm told him.

Lloyd looked nervously at the two as they smiled at him once again. Finally, he sighed and gave in to their offers. "Okay, what do I do?" he asked.

Storm smiled happily and grabbed him by the wrist, dragging him out of the house. Before Zelos left, he put a note on the side table telling Sheena to meet Lloyd right outside the village. The note told her that he had something important to tell her. Zelos put it in plain sight, hoping that Sheena would have no problem finding. They made their way to the town's outskirts to prepare for Sheena's arrival.

"Okay, I got this cool thing from Yuan. It works great, you put this ear piece in your ear and we can hide over here and talk to you, giving you advice. Only you can hear what we're telling you and we can help you get Sheena to fall for you. This plan is fool-proof," Storm explained.

"I don't understand how I'll be able to hear youtwo if you're over there," Lloyd pointed out, not quite comprehending how the ear piece would work.

"Here, put this in your ear and I'll show you. Stand over there," Storm said as Lloyd put the ear piece in and walked a few feet away.

Storm lifted up her walkie talkie and began to talk into it. "Do you hear me Lloyd?" she asked.

"Yeah, I can hear you really well. Maybe this will work!" Lloyd said enthusiastically.

Zelos came running over to where the two were. "Sheena's coming we have to hide," he warned them as he and Storm ran behind a few bushes about a hundred feet away from where Lloyd was standing. Sheena soon walked over to where Lloyd was at and looked at him strangely.

"What did you need to tell me that was so important?" Sheena asked, not really knowing why Lloyd had to talk to her out in the middle of nowhere.

"There's something I've been meaning to tell you," Storm said into her walkie.

"Uh...there's something I've been meaning to tell you," Lloyd stumbled with his words as he repeated them slowly as Storm said them.

"Okay?" Sheena replied questioningly.

"Tell her she's hot!" Zelos said into the walkie as he tried to snatch it from Storm.

Storm yanked back on the walkie. "No, that's stupid. No girl wants to hear that! Tell her she's beautiful Lloyd, trust me," Storm yelled back.

"Uh...you look beautiful tonight Sheena," Lloyd said, not really needing anyone to tell him that.

"Hey, I wanna give some advice," Zelos pouted.

"No way! All you're going to do is give him bad advice on how to pick up hunnies," Storm argued.

"Yeah, well it worked on you," Zelos shot back.

Storm hit him in the head with her walkie. Zelos reeled back as he held his head in pain. "I liked you for who you really were, not the perverted Chosen you pretended to be," Storm fought back.

"Ow...but I was sexy too," Zelos said.

"Well, there was that too," Storm said as she placed her finger by her mouth in a thoughtful expression.

"Let me talk to him," Zelos tried to snatch the walkie away from Storm once again who kept it out of his reach as she pushed him away from her.

"No way Zelos, let me handle this, I know what Sheena would want to hear. I am the female," Storm said.

"Yeah, you're going to make him sound too wussy," Zelos shot back. He grabbed the walkie as the two began to tug-of-war for control of the device.

Lloyd, by this point in time, was standing in front of Sheena like an idiot without anything to say as he tried to decipher what Storm and Zelos were telling him. About all he could hear was the two of them fighting back and forth on the other end.

"Lloyd, what is your problem?" Sheena finally asked, tired of watching Lloyd look around nervously.

"Forget this," Lloyd muttered under his breath as he finally ripped his ear piece off his ear and threw it to the ground. "Sheena, after all this time being with you, we've gotten to be really great friends," Lloyd began.

"Yes we have," Sheena agreed.

"I've gotten to know you so well. I can't hide my feelings from you any longer. Sheena, I love you, I love everything about you. I love the way you smile and the way you laugh. I love the way you cock your head when you're confused and I love how you never give up. I love the courage that you show no matter how scared you are. Sheena, I love everything there is to love about you," Lloyd finally let out, almost in one breath. He let out a large sigh before making eye contact with the ninja.

Sheena was awestruck and stared at Lloyd in amazement. She couldn't believe that Lloyd actually had the same feelings for her that she had for him. "Lloyd...," Sheena sighed.

"I understand if you don't like me the same way. I hope that we can still...," Lloyd was interrupted as Sheena moved in and their lips connected. Lloyd couldn't believe what was happening. He melted into her before finally pushing back against her.

Meanwhile, Storm and Zelos were still fighting with the walkie when they suddenly noticed that neither Sheena nor Lloyd were speaking. Storm and Zelos poked their heads above the bushes and saw Sheena and Lloyd involved in a deep, passionate kiss.

"Hey, we're good," Zelos said happily.

"What do you mean, 'we're,' I was the one who did all the work," Storm said.

"What? I gave him advice too," Zelos protested.

"It was my advice he used. I say that I got them together!" Storm yelled at him.

"Yes dear," Zelos replied meekly.

"Well, our work here is done," Storm said as she dusted off her hands. The two headed back to Mizuho, leaving Sheena and Lloyd alone for awhile. They knew that they would have to leave Mizuho tomorrow.

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Well, that's it for that chapter. I hope that it was relatively entertaining. I liked the idea pretty well but I hope I pulled it off okay. Anyway, thanks for reading and tell me what thought. Please review! 


	5. Chapter 5: Symptoms

Sorry for the long update time everyone. Between school, work, and writer's block, I'm surprised that I got it up this soon. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter and if you have ideas for this story please let me know. Thanks and enjoy.

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Chapter 5: Symptoms

The next morning, Kratos woke up and found Lloyd and Sheena ready for breakfast, but Storm and Zelos were nowhere around. Kratos began to wonder if they were being lazy and had yet to get up. This idea surprised him a little bit, Storm was always an early riser, at least since she started to sleep again. He decided to go to see if the two had woken up yet.

When he got to their room he knocked, receiving no reply from the other side. He cautiously opened the door, peeking his head in to find an empty bed. He glanced around the room a few times, still wondering where they were. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head and he made his way to the closest bathroom.

He arrived at the bathroom door to find it exactly as he suspected, it was closed and locked. He knocked on the door.

"You might want to find another bathroom, this could be awhile," Zelos' voice replied from the bathroom.

"Zelos, is Storm sick?" Kratos asked, knowing perfectly well what the answer would be. He had been around a pregnant woman twice and knew exactly what was going on.

"Kratos?" Zelos asked. Soon, the door to the bathroom opened slightly, revealing Zelos' head. He walked out and closed the door behind him.

"How long has she been in there?" Kratos asked him.

"About an hour or maybe two hours, I don't know," Zelos replied.

"She's not doing well is she? You'll be going through this for awhile now. Welcome to being the husband to a pregnant wife," Kratos told Zelos placing a hand on his shoulder in an apathetic way.

"How long is this going to last?" Zelos asked nervously.

"Morning sickness lasted about four months with Anna," Kratos informed him.

"I heard that!" Storm yelled through the closed door. "I hate you Zelos!"

"I know, you've said that about ten times this morning," Zelos sighed.

"I know exactly what you're feeling. Anna said that too. Don't worry, she'll get over that too. Just wait until she really starts getting mood swings," Kratos warned.

"Oh boy," Zelos replied as his eyes got huge. "She was pretty bad before."

"I can hear everything you guys are saying and you're going to really get it when I get away from this bathroom," Storm yelled at them from inside the bathroom.

Suddenly, Zelos was summoned back into the bathroom as Storm began to get sick all over again. Kratos decided that he should go back to where Sheena and Lloyd were and tell them that they would be staying a few more days. Storm had to get adjusted to her sickness. He would save some breakfast for the two of them, granted that there was some left when he got there. Lloyd had a nasty habit of eating everything before anyone else could get a bite in.

A few hours later, Zelos came in holding Storm's hand as she stumbled about the house. She looked pale and very sick. She walked over to where they were about to serve lunch. She sat down at the table and the sandwiches that Kratos had made were set in front of the group. Storm looked at the food and made a mad dash for the bathroom as she felt another wave of sickness flood over her.

Zelos sighed and got up to follow her, knowing that he would be missing out on another meal. Just as he got out of the chair someone grabbed him by the shoulder. Zelos turned around and saw Kratos behind him.

"Go ahead and eat, I'll go to Storm," he told him. Zelos nodded his head, surprised at how nice Kratos had been to him lately. There was a slight hope in him that maybe Kratos was beginning to trust him. Zelos sat down to enjoy his first meal of the day.

About an hour later, Storm finally came out looking like herself. She was a little fatigued but tried not to let anyone know. She didn't want to eat anything and just wanted to spend some time with Zelos. Storm and Zelos decided to go and relax out in the field by the forest.

* * *

When they arrived in the field, Storm and Zelos sat under a large tree in the shade. They sat in silence for a while, enjoying the calm state of being that was surrounding them. The only sounds that were present were those of the birds, the insects, the wind, and each other's breathing. Storm sighed happily as she felt the warm sun on her face, refreshing her mind and body after her long morning. She looked over at Zelos whose hair was gently blowing in the breeze and she felt as if this was exactly what they were meant to do. She never wanted to go back to the village. She wanted to stay under this tree with her husband forever. Storm laid her head in Zelos lap as she stretched out under the tree.

"Zelos?" Storm asked him after the long and peaceful silence.

Zelos' eyes fluttered opened at the sound of her voice. "Yeah?" he replied.

"Why were so anxious to be a dad? I didn't think you'd be that excited," she asked him.

"Well, I guess it's because I never really had great parents. I mean, my mom always wished that I was never born and my dad...,' Zelos paused and let out a little chuckle. "My father, he was never around, he was never there for me either. I want to make sure that our child never feels that way. I want to make sure that our baby is always loved and never feels unwanted. It's a terrible feeling to have your own parents hate you. I would never wish that on anyone," Zelos answered.

"I hope that I'll be a good mother. I know that you'll be a great father," she told him.

"Why wouldn't you be a good mother?" he asked.

Storm sat up and looked up at the sky. "I never really knew my mother or what she was like. I don't really know what a mother is supposed to be like. I don't think that I have the strength within me to raise a child," she told him.

"Storm, I know that there is no way that you can fail at being a mother. You already care about your child by worrying if you'll be good enough or not. With that attitude, you won't let our baby down," Zelos assured her.

Storm settled her head back on Zelos' lap and she began to watch as the sun filtered through the leaves on the trees. She finally fell asleep for a few hours. Zelos watched as Storm breathed gently in her sleep and soon fell asleep after her. A few hours later, the two woke up as they watched the sun began to set. They decided that it was a good time to head back to Mizuho.

Storm and Zelos walked into the house and Storm stopped dead in her tracks when she walked through the door. She stared and saw the last person she was expecting to see in Mizuho. He was just as she had left him. She could tell that he was still depressed, but he also seemed worried. She could also tell that he was trying to hide it from her and the others with a large smile. She couldn't believe that Yuan was there to see her.

* * *

Uh-oh. What's gonna happen here? Oh boy, this could turn out to be interesting, or maybe not. I don't know you'll have to see. Remember if you have any ideas for the story please let me know, if you couldn't tell I still haven't gotten over the writer's block. Anyway, please review and let me know what you thought. 


	6. Chapter 6: Hidden Secrets

Okay, sorry that it has taken so long to update, I've been working on something else. I just completed a movie for Youtube. It's a tribute to my favorite seraph, Kratos. Check out my profile for the link to my project. I'm really proud of this one. Anyway, back to the story, I hope that you like this chapter.

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Chapter 6: Hidden Secrets

Storm could not believe that Yuan was standing in the room, especially since she was there with Zelos. She tried not to look completely shocked by his arrival, but it was hard to hide. She made sure that the others didn't catch onto her feelings. She was so excited to see him again, but she was really upset that he had the nerve to show up when she was with Zelos.

"Hey everyone, look who's here. Yuan came here to give me an update on the Desian situation. It's kind of funny how he came when all of you guys were here, isn't it?" Sheena laughed.

"Hilarious...," Storm muttered under her breath, still upset with him being there.

"Hey guys. How's everyone doing? I see that everything in Mizuho is peaceful thanks to Sheena's leadership. And Lloyd, you are one lucky guy to learn the hidden secrets of the ninja's in this village," Yuan said as he looked at Sheena and Lloyd as he spoke with them. He wasn't even glancing in Storm's direction. She almost began to wonder if he really was just visiting with everyone and wasn't even there to see her.

Yuan drew his attention to Kratos who was standing at the other end of the room watching the event take place. "Kratos, long time no see. How are you doing old friend?" Yuan asked him.

"I'm about the same as the last time we met," Kratos replied unenthusiastically.

"That figures," Yuan sighed as he drew his attention away from Kratos and shifted it over to where Storm and Zelos were standing. His gaze stopped on Storm for a few seconds before he continued on his round of greetings. "Zelos, I hear that you're working for the king now. I'm glad that you're advising him to help end discrimination in the new world. We need to begin that process if we ever want to have true peace," Yuan told him as he patted him on the shoulder.

"Hey thanks. I heard that you and Storm kicked some major Desian butt a couple of months ago," Zelos replied as he smiled over at Storm who's heart rate was beginning to speed up significantly at the mention of it.

"Yeah, Magnius didn't really stand much of a chance and now that he's gone the Desians have almost all disappeared. There are just a few Desian groups still roaming around Symphonia, but they're not too hard to handle," Yuan replied as he cast his gaze on Storm once again.

At this, Storm stepped into the conversation. "Yuan, I need to talk to you privately about our last mission and I need a report from you about how Derris Kharlan is doing," she told him, heading toward the door with him following hesitantly behind her.

"Do you want me to save you something for dinner?" Zelos asked her as she made her way out the door.

"Sure, although I'm not sure I'll be able to eat it," Storm told him.

"Storm, you need to eat something eventually," Kratos warned her.

"I know, I promise that I will. I'm going to see how I feel when I get back," she told them as she left with Yuan behind her.

Storm led Yuan to the same spot that her and Zelos had just been at. She felt that they would be far enough away that no one would spot them together or hear their conversation. When she got to the tree she was at not too long before, she spun around and glared at Yuan angrily.

"I can't believe you," she yelled at him.

"What are you talking about? Why are you acting so upset?" Yuan asked her.

"You're what's making me so upset! I can't believe that you have the nerve to come here when I'm with Zelos. Do you want someone to find out about us?" she screamed at him.

"I didn't even know you were all here, honest," Yuan defended himself. "I just came here because I was finding out what Sheena had found out about the Desians and telling her what the Renegades had discovered. Aren't you happy to see me though?"

Storm sighed at the last comment. She couldn't hide the fact that she had missed him and that she was excited to see him again. The last time she had seen him was when she had gone to the Renegade base to meet with him about an old Desian ranch that the Renegades had searched through. That was about a month ago and she had missed him since then. "Of course I missed you, it's just that I don't want anyone to find out about what's been going on," she told him.

Yuan grabbed her hands, making her look him in the eyes. "Hey, I would never do anything that would hurt you. You've been through too much, I would never do that to you. I know that you'll never leave Zelos and I know that you're happy with him, but I also know that you love me too," he said to her.

"Of course I do, I told you that. I also told you that if we were to ever be together that you'd have to wait. I have a long life ahead of me and we'll have plenty of time together someday, but until then I'm staying with Zelos. He makes me happy and I don't want to leave him or hurt him for that matter," she explained to him.

"I know, but if anything ever happens just know that I'll always be there for you," Yuan told her.

"Thank you, but you realized that we can't keep doing this. I'm Zelos' wife and having you around is just too much of a temptation. I can't help that I fell in love with you or that you fell in love with me. Love just happens like that, it comes with no warnings or choices. Maybe it's best if we're not around each other anymore," she told him.

"I understand, but always remember that I love you and that I'll always wait for you," he told her as he pulled her up against his chest in an embrace.

Storm loved being next to him. She felt so safe and secure as she felt his arms wrap around her as if they were protecting her from the world. She looked up into his eyes and realized that he had been looking down at her. They moved closer until their lips were pressed against each other in a passionate kiss. She never wanted it to end, but she knew that it had to. She was going to have a child and she couldn't be with Yuan with a child in her life.

Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind. She hadn't even considered who her child's father was. She had forgotten that she was with Yuan not too long before she found out that she was pregnant. What would she do if Yuan was the father? Zelos and everyone would discover their secret and her life with Zelos would be over. She couldn't tell Yuan about her pregnancy, he might try to come around more often and she didn't need that stress. She really hoped that her child's father was Zelos, she didn't know what she would do without him.

Storm broke away from Yuan and pulled herself out of his embrace. She looked at him sadly and realized that the look of depression that she had seen earlier was beginning to return to his face. "I'm sorry Yuan...," she sighed.

"I'll wait for you," Yuan told her as he made his way back to where he had his rheihard. Storm walked slowly back to Mizuho to see if she could eat the rest of her dinner, although after what had just taken place she doubted that she would be able to.

* * *

Well, that's it. I know this chapter wasn't that funny but I needed to get this stuff out too. Also if someone has any ideas for what they should do next. They need to tell Raine, Genis, Presea, Regal, and Colette yet so if you have any ideas, please tell me. Thanks. Also, don't forget to check out my profile for the link to my movie. I hope you enjoy it and don't forget to review this chapter for me. 


	7. Chapter 7: Storm's Temper

Okay, I'm back with some more for this story. I hope no one is angry with me because it took so long to update. If I did, I'm sorry. Anyway, here's the next chapter, I hope you all enjoy it.

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Chapter 7: Storm's Temper

Storm and Zelos stayed in Mizuho for about a week before Storm finally felt relatively okay. She was willing to finally brave the outside world once again, even if her morning sickness hadn't stopped yet. The two decided that they should head to Altamira to tell Presea and Regal the good news. Kratos decided to wait in Mizuho until they were through there, he wanted to spend some time with Lloyd.

Lloyd and Sheena had opened up a lot since Storm and Zelos had gotten them together. The two were almost inseparable and were constantly going off on their own. Storm and Zelos didn't know exactly what they were doing but they had a strange feeling that they were acting like the two of them had when they first fell for each other. Storm and Zelos decided that their work there was done and made their way towards Altamira.

When Storm and Zelos arrived in Altamira they made their way to the Lazereno Company in hopes of finding either Presea or Regal. Once they got there, they waited and waited in the lobby for what seemed like hours. The receptionist at the front counter assured the two that they would be able to see the two eventually, but she was sure to point out that the two should have made an appointment. Storm was not happy with her side comment and decided to take care of the situation on her own. Zelos, unfortunately, was too afraid of her mood swings to stop her.

"Look here lady! Regal and Presea are good friends of ours and I demand that you get off your lazy butt and tell them that we're here to see them!" Storm yelled at her as she slammed her hands on the desk.

"I'm sorry, but the two are very busy and I can't disturb them," she replied.

"Well, can't you tell them who we are?" Storm asked, trying to control her temper, but was losing very quickly.

"I'm sorry, but I can't bother them," she replied, a snotty tone to her voice.

"Well, are they in a conference with someone?" Storm asked, deciding that that would be a reasonable excuse for the wait.

"No," the woman replied throwing a smirk in Storm's direction.

"Well, what the hell are they doing?" Storm yelled at the top of her lungs.

"I'm sorry, but they can not be disturbed. Don't make me call down security on you," the woman threatened Storm. This was obviously a bad idea for the woman. Storm's eyes showed pure hatred for the cocky, little woman sitting in front of her. She looked at the woman who was a short, fat lady. She had her hair pulled up in a messy bun that looked like it was about to come undone at any second. She was wearing way too much makeup on her face and was happy to flashy a cocky grin at Storm while watching her suffer.

Storm was infuriated as Zelos walked up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down.

"Storm, relax, we'll get in eventually," Zelos told her.

Storm whipped around to look at him. "That's not the point here. The point is that this woman thinks that she can give me an attitude and deny me the decency of telling our friends that we're here. I think she thinks it's funny to watch us squirm," Storm told him.

"I think you're over exaggerating Storm. She's just doing her job," Zelos told her as he tried to lead her back to their seats in the lobby area.

Storm completely ignored him as she quickly made her way back to the desk. She threw her hands on the desk and looked at the woman in the eye. "You picked the wrong time to mess with me, I'm having mood swings," Storm said as she suddenly sprinted for the elevator.

"Wait, you can't go there," the woman shouted.

Storm ignored her warning as she made it into the elevator as the woman called for security. Storm was determined to find Regal and Presea and figured that their office would be located where it had been before.

Back in the lobby, Zelos sighed and held his hands to his head as he stared down at the floor. The woman at the desk looked over at him and finally decided to ask him something that was on her mind. "Is she...your wife?" Zelos lifted his head up and looked at the woman before nodding at her.

"I feel for you," she stated calmly.

Storm finally made it to the floor that she was looking for and went into the nearest room. There she saw Regal and Presea, playing golf. Presea and Regal were in their office playing around with a putter. Storm couldn't believe it. She had waited that long to find out that they were playing golf.

"Storm what are you doing here?" Regal asked.

Storm was still shocked that she had practically had to beat the receptionist downstairs because these two were busy playing golf. "Why are playing golf?" Storm finally asked.

"I'm teaching Presea how to putt properly, everyone who helps run a company should know how to play golf," Regal stated in a matter of fact tone.

"So, what brings you to Altamira?" Regal asked her again.

"Well, maybe we'd better bring Zelos up, your receptionist won't let anyone up here, I had to make a break for it to get here," Storm told him.

After sending for Zelos and bringing the two to a conference room down the hall, Zelos and Storm went on to tell Regal and Presea the good news.

"Congratulations," Regal stated happily as he patted both of them on the shoulders. "If you would like, you may spend a week here to relax and go shopping. Also, if you ever need anything for the baby just let me know and I can take care of it for you," Regal told them.

"Thank you very much," Storm said happily.

"You will make great parents," Presea said as happily as she could.

"I hope so," Zelos said, trying to agree with her.

Suddenly, the door to the conference room opened, revealing Raine in the doorway. She looked rather upset as she walked into the room and sat down by Storm and Zelos. Storm looked over at her and saw the frustrated look on her face.

"Couldn't get past the receptionist, could you?" Storm asked her.

Raine looked at her surprisingly and nodded her head slowly in response. "How'd you know?" she questioned.

"Storm about killed her and then ran here, while avoiding security because of her," Zelos answered for her.

"I see...," Raine sighed calmly.

"You need some new help around here Regal," Storm told him as she looked over at him.

"Perhaps...," Regal said as he thought it over carefully in his mind.

"So, what are you doing here Raine?" Storm asked her.

"We got a call from Sheena in Mizuho saying that you two were coming here to tell Presea and Regal big news. I brought Genis along so we could save you a few trips," Raine explained to her.

"Genis! You brought the brat? Man, I wonder how he's doing? Where is the little guy?" Zelos asked as he got up out of his seat to find him.

"He's down the hallway, he should be coming in soon," Raine told him and just as she finished, Genis entered the room. He was just under six feet in height and still had his silver hair, but it was much longer and was put into a ponytail. He was rather muscular, mostly from all the fighting and traveling he had been doing.

Zelos stopped dead in his tracks and looked up at Genis who was now looking down on him. "Hey, you know, anything I might have said to you about being a brat or short or anything, I really didn't mean," Zelos stuttered as Genis smirked at him.

"Yeah, well good to see you too Zelos," Genis replied, his voice much deeper than it had been before. Storm had to admit, she was impressed with the transformation. Looking at Genis made her rather sad though. When she looked at him, she was reminded that everyone around her was growing older and changing. Then there was her. She was growing older but she would never change. She knew that someday everyone would leave her and she would still be the same as she was presently. It made her feel like an outcast in the world, a freak.

"So, what was it you were telling everyone?" Raine broke Storm out of her trance as everyone was seated at the table in the room.

"Well, I'm pregnant. We're going to be parents," Storm stated once again.

"Woah, Zelos, you finally did it," Genis laughed from the other side of the room. Zelso just glared at him from a distance.

"Wow, this is great news. How far along are you now?" Raine asked her.

"Just about a month now," Storm answered.

"Well, we'll have to help you get ready. I hope you realize that you shouldn't be traveling as much pretty soon. Also, no fighting with any enemies whatsoever. You don't want to yourself or the baby," Raine advised her.

"I know, I know. We're staying here a week and then we just have to go to Iselia to tell Colette and we can finally return home," Storm assured her.

"Okay, well, I'll do my best to help you any way I can with the baby. If there's anything that you need help with just let me know," Raine told her.

"And don't forget about us too," Regal and Presea reminded her.

"Thanks everyone, I know that this baby is going to have a lot of people who love it," Storm replied happily.

* * *

Well, that's it for this chapter. Sorry if it was stupid, although I liked the receptionist. Anyway, tell me what you thought and if you have any ideas for this story please let me know. Also, I want an opinion poll, should I make the next story about how Yuan and Storm got together or should I just skip that and move on to the next story. A story with Storm's child in it. I already know what it's about basically, just have to work out the details. All I can do is give you all the one sentence, movie poster preview. Prepare for the Takeover! Well, that's that I don't know about the details of it but that's the basic summary. Anyway, tell me what you think. 


	8. Chapter 8: Joan

Sorry that it seems like it's taking me forever to update. I hope no one is too upset about the wait. Anyway, here's the next chapter for everyone, I hope that everyone enjoys it.

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Chapter 8: Joan

Storm and Zelos decided to take up the offer to stay at Altamira for about a week before they would leave to tell Colette the news. Raine and Genis also decided to stay when Regal offered them a couple of free rooms. Storm and Zelos both thought that it would be good for them to just stay there and relax for the week. They both felt that they didn't relax enough.

Storm was going to talk to Regal about what she and Zelos could do for the day. She was also prepared to engage in another battle with the receptionist at the front desk. The woman at the desk was a good way to vent her anger and Storm was ready for some payback. Storm entered the office building and walked up to the front desk and was surprised to see a new woman sitting at the desk. Storm stood there with a disappointed look on her face. She was really ready to confront the woman and let out her mood swings on her, but there stood a younger, taller woman with a large grin on her face.

"How can I help you?" the woman chimed, her voice slightly reminded Storm of Colette.

"Uh...," Storm began, still trying to figure out what happened to the other woman. "Can I speak with Regal?" she finally asked.

"Name," the woman simply stated.

"Storm Wilder," she stated.

"Oh, Ms. Wilder you're on the list to see Mr. Bryant. You may go ahead," the woman said happily.

"Wait, there's a list of people to see Regal?" she asked her mouth dropping slightly.

"Yes, after he came back from his journey he put up this list of all of his companions so they wouldn't have to make an appointment to see him," the woman explained.

"THERE WAS A LIST!" Storm yelled as she slammed her fists on the desk. The woman jumped backwards, startled by Storm's sudden outburst.

"I'm sorry ma'am is there something that I did wrong?" the woman asked.

"No. I'm going to see Regal now," Storm said calmly as she made her way to the elevator leading to Regal's office.

Once she was at his office she knocked on the door, entering as soon as soon as Regal bid her to come in. Storm calmly walked over to his desk and sat on the opposite side. She sat there and stared at Regal for a few moments, trying to contain the hatred she was feeling towards the older receptionist at the moment.

"So, where's your old receptionist?" Storm finally inquired.

"Oh, Joan? I let her go, she was a little too hard to work with and the customers didn't care for her much," Regal said. "I think that Darla is a lot friendlier towards our clientele, wouldn't you agree?" Regal asked her.

"Oh, yes she's wonderful," Storm answered without really thinking about it, her mind was still focused on Joan and seeking revenge on her somehow.

"What was it you needed to see me about Storm?" Regal asked.

"Oh, Zelos and I were wondering what we should check out around here, we wanted to see what was worth seeing before we had to leave," Storm told him.

After a few moments of thought, Regal finally got an idea. "Actually, this is great timing. We're holding a ball here tomorrow night, you two should come. There will be quite a few businessmen and aristocrats attending so you should probably find a nice gown to wear. You could go shopping around here to find something for that. In fact, why don't you invite Raine and Genis as well, I'm sure Presea would want Genis to attend," he said, smiling at the last part.

"Wow, that's a great idea. We'll go out shopping today," Storm answered cheerfully as she promptly left for the hotel. "See you then," she called as she went out the door.

* * *

Storm arrived at the hotel and ran over to where Zelos was at the time taking a nap. She decided that he had slept enough and that it was time to wake him up. She ran over to the bed that he was sleeping on and jumped on top of him. Zelos woke with a start as he tried to figure out who, or what, was on top of him. He looked and saw Storm smiling at him. He rolled his eyes at her behavior as he grabbed her by the waist and pushed on the other side of the bed.

"You know, I think you're starting to get a little heavier," he told her with a big cheesy smile slapped on his face. This remark resulted in Storm's hand contacting with the back of his head.

"So, what did you find out from Regal?" Zelos asked as he rubbed the back of his head.

"There's going to be a ball tomorrow night and we're invited. We need to go shopping and find a suit and tie for you and a gown for me," she explained to him.

"Hmm...a ball. I've been to enough of those to be tired of them," Zelos sighed.

"Well I haven't," Storm declared as she took Zelos by the arm and began to drag him out of the room to go shopping. Before they left though they went to Raine and Genis' rooms and told them about the ball. Raine and Genis both decided to come along with the two so they could all pick out their outfits together.

* * *

Genis and Zelos were off to find their suits as they left Raine and Storm to pick out their dresses. Storm wanted to keep her dress a surprise for Zelos and wanted to really impress him. As Storm and Raine walked into the store, Storm immediately went to the front desk to find someone to help them find their dresses.

"Excuse me, could we have some help please?" Storm asked the woman at the front counter.

"Sure," the woman replied. "Joan, come out here and help these two young ladies."

Storm's eyes grew huge at the mention of the name. At first, she thought that was just a coincidence, but when the short, older woman came out to help Raine and her she couldn't deny that it was in fact Regal's old receptionist. Joan and Storm locked stares for a few moments, hatred running between the two of them. Each of them wanted to seek revenge on the other due to their last encounter.

Storm walked over to Joan and stared her in the face, almost asking for a confrontation. Joan was the first to speak between the two of them.

"So, did your husband leave you? Is that why you're here, to get fancied up for another man?" Joan asked her.

Storm grew enraged, but was able to keep her cool. "No, Zelos and I are still together, but I see that you were incapable of holding on to something as simple as a job," Storm countered.

"Poor man," Joan replied, ignoring Storm's comment. "Well, I suppose you want a dress," she said flatly as she eyed Storm.

Storm watched her as she circled around both her and Raine a few times, looking them over. Finally, she looked over at Raine happily. "What a lovely figure! I know the perfect dress for you," she exclaimed as she began to lead Raine away, leaving Storm behind her.

"Hey, what about me?" Storm asked angrily.

"Oh, I don't think we have anything for someone with _that_ kind of figure," she retorted as she pointed at Storm's stomach which had gotten a _little_ bigger. With this remark, Joan walked off leaving Storm enraged behind her.

Storm went back to the front desk and called for the woman at the counter.

"Yes, can I help you?" she chirped.

"Yes, do you have any dresses in my size?" Storm asked her.

The woman looked her over for a second and smiled at her. "Of course we do, but weren't you with Joan?" she asked.

"Yes, it's funny that you mention that. She told me that you didn't have any dresses that would suit my figure," Storm replied.

"Well, that doesn't sound right. Don't worry, I'll help you pick out a dress and I'll speak to her later," the woman replied.

After Storm finished picking out her dress she caught Raine who had just finished purchasing hers. On their way out of the store, Storm saw Joan standing by the door and she decided to get the last word in.

"Hey, look I found a dress that fit my figure, but I bet you can't find one to fit yours," she called as she closed the door behind her.

* * *

Well, that's it for this chapter and the next chapter will be all about the ball. I know that Storm and Zelos are technically in with the aristocrats in Meltokio but they never had the time to go to any of the balls. Anyway, I hope that you like Joan. She is actually inspired by an older woman I know that despises me, but I don't really know. I hate her too, but she doesn't want me to be around whenever she comes to where I work. I think that it's hilarious because my personality is really like Colette almost all the time except when I get upset then I turn into Raine or Storm. Hmm...I guess she just hates teenagers. Anyway, I hope you liked it and please review to tell me what you thought. 


	9. Chapter 9: The Ball

Okay, it's time for an update. I hope I didn't keep anyone waiting too long. Anyway, this chapter is all about the dance. And to let everyone know, in case you weren't sure, Storm is about one month pregnant. I wasn't sure if I put that in there but I wasn't going to go and look for it. Anyway, I hope that you all enjoy this chapter. Also, I'd like to thank Kararu Rinamino for her help with this chapter and everything else she's helped me with. Thanks!

* * *

Chapter 9: The Ball

Storm was so nervous, she'd never been to a ball before and was not really used to being surrounded by high class people. Zelos was so used to it, she knew that he would be okay, in fact, most of the people attending the ball knew him personally. She just hoped she wouldn't embarrass him in front of all these ritzy people.

"Are you okay?" Raine asked Storm as she looked over at her while the young girl was finishing her hair.

"Yes, you seem nervous," Presea commented.

"I'm fine it's just...," Storm began, hesitating a little.

"Just what?" Raine urged her to continue.

"I've never been to something like this and I'm worried that I won't fit in. I don't want to embarrass Zelos, he's like one of these people," Storm confessed.

"Storm, I don't think that you can embarrass Zelos. Don you really think he cares what these people think about him? If he did, he wouldn't have acted like a pervert all of those years," Raine assured her.

"I guess you're right," Storm finally gave in.

"Don't worry, you look wonderful," Raine told her.

"Thanks, I hope Zelos thinks so too," Storm replied before the three of them began to make their way to the ballroom.

"Hey Raine, who's your escort tonight. I mean, I have Zelos and Presea has Genis, but what about you?" Storm asked her.

"Regal offered," Raine answered.

"Oh. So, are you dressed to impress?" Storm asked her a smirk appearing on her face.

"We're not dates I just needed an escort and he did too," Raine shot back.

"Uh-huh, sure," Storm muttered under her breath before getting a sharp beating on the back of her head causing her to reel back in pain.

"You'll be catching up to your brother before long if you keep that up," Raine told her before walking in front of her as they came to the end of the hall, leading into the ballroom where the men were waiting.

Raine was first to enter. She walked into the ballroom and was met by Regal who bowed to her. Raine returned his gesture with a curtsey. Raine was wearing a beautiful red gown that suited her figure wonderfully. Her gown was sleeveless and was fitted snugly at the top and flowed below her waist. She was also wearing white gloves and red heels which she was managing to walk in, barely.

Raine's beauty caused Regal to nervously advance as he offered her his arm. She accepted it, stifling a laugh at his nervousness as they walked down the stairs to the ballroom. The three of them were the last to make their entrances at the ball and the rest of the party was down at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for their arrival.

Presea was next to go out. She stepped out to greet Genis who wasn't even attempting to hide his amazement at her radiance. Presea was wearing a long, pink gown that reached the floor, covering her feet. Presea's gown was frilly from her waist down and had slightly puffy sleeves. Her hair was up in a ponytail that was adorned with a few pearls. She also wore a pearl necklace and bracelet that Genis actually bought for her before the ball. She also wore a pair of white gloves like Raine had. She walked up to Genis who was barely watching where he was going, only focusing on Presea. He was lucky he didn't have to say anything to her and was happy to bow to her. She curtsied back to him. Genis stared at her for a few moments, staring at her.

"Genis?" Presea finally asked him.

"Yeah," Genis said as if in a daze.

"Are we going to proceed?" she questioned.

"Oh! Yeah, sorry...," Genis replied as he offered her his arm, his face beat red. She accepted it and they made their way to the party.

Storm was so nervous when her turn arrived. She and Zelos were the last to make their entrance and she hoped that he liked her gown. She had gained a little weight since she'd gotten pregnant, but it was only a little bit. She stepped nervously out to the ballroom. Zelos looked at her as she entered and everyone at the ball had to admit that she was drop dead gorgeous.

Storm was wearing a dark blue strapless gown that seemed to fit her figure perfectly. It was almost as if the gown she was wearing was made specifically for her. Her gown was tighter at the top, flowing after it reached her waist. Her dress also had several silver stars and moons adorning it. She was wearing silver high heels. She'd never worn high heels before but she was able to walk in them, gliding gracefully as she walked in them. She was also wearing the necklace that Kratos had given her, she couldn't bear to part with it even for the night. She was also wearing a pair of diamond earrings that Zelos had given her as a Valentine's Day present, this being the first time she'd worn them. Storm's hair was up in a delicate bun, a few stray pieces on either side if her face.

As Storm walked in she stared down at the ground nervously, scared to see what Zelos' reaction would be. If she would have looked up she would have gained confidence at the look she was receiving from him. Zelos had seen many women in his life, but there was something about Storm that could always stop him in his tracks. He was stunned for a few moments but regained his composure and walked up to her, bowing to her. Storm looked up and curtsied back to him. He then offered his arm to her which she accepted and they made their way down the stairs.

"You look...amazing Storm," Zelos said, emphasizing amazing.

"Thanks, I hoped you'd like it," Storm said.

"It's not just the dress, but everything about you," Zelos told her.

Storm blushed at this comment as they got to the bottom of the stairs. Zelos took Storm over to all the couples in the room and introduced her to all of the other people there. After being introduced to the high society attending the ball, they took their seats and enjoyed an exquisite dinnner.

After dinner, the men all made their way over to the bar to talk. The women all gathered in small clusters to gossip about all the news, most of the gossip concerning Zelos and his wife.

"Did you see Zelos' wife?" one women asked.

"Yes, gorgeous, but she's obviously not one of us," another replied.

"Personally, I think that my daughter would have been a better match," another commented.

"This one was lucky to fall into the lap of luxury. I wonder who her family is?" yet another questioned.

"I heard that Lloyd Irving is her brother," one answered.

"The hero of Symphonia!" someone exclaimed.

"Yes, but he was raised by a dwarf! She was raised by her father! How strange," another explained.

"A dwarf? What does the father do?" the other woman asked.

"I heard that he was a mercenary and that she fights as well," she told the rest.

"A mercenary! And she fights? How barbaric," the other replied.

While this conversation was going on Storm was talking with Raine and Presea.

"See, you had nothing to worry about," Raine told Storm.

"Yeah, but I can't help feeling like I don't belong here," Storm confessed.

"You fit in fine. Besides, you're Zelos' wife now so there's not much they can all do about it," Raine told her.

Suddenly, Storm was called over by the group of women, claiming that they wanted to get to know her better. Storm excused herself from her group and nervously walked over to the group of women who were all looking over her with critical eyes.

"Hello, my dear. And how are you this evening?" one women asked. Storm looked at her. She was a women who was probably in her late fifties who was trying desperately to hang onto her youth with the aid of cosmetics.

"I'm fine," Storm said shyly.

"Well there's no need to be shy here. Let me introduce you to everyone. My name is Lady Catherine Bennet. This is Lady Charlotte Lucas. And over there is Lady Georgiana Bingley," Lady Catherine said as she waved her arm over each as she introduced them, Storm curtsied to each of them.

"So, Ms. Wilder, we were all just curious as to your family," Lady Catherine began.

"Oh, well. There's my brother, Lloyd Irving, the hero of Symphonia. Then, my father, Kratos Aurion. My mother is no longer with us though unfortunately," Storm answered.

"And your father...is it true that he's a mercenary?" Lady Charlotte asked.

"Yes, and I am as well. My father taught me a lot about the way of the sword. I'm actually pretty good with a sword," Storm told them.

"My! I never heard of a woman fighting with a sword. It seems rather dangerous," Lady Catherine exclaimed.

"Well, it is if you don't know what you're doing," Storm replied.

"And what other education have you had?" Lady Georgiana asked.

"Well, I learned history, reading, writing, and math. But most of my time as a child was spent learning to fight," Storm answered.

"Then you're not well educated then. Did you have a governess?" Lady Georgiana asked her.

"No, I never had a governess that taught me to read or write or things like that," Storm told her.

"Hmm, I wonder what made Zelos choose you as a wife. I would have thought that he'd want to marry one our daughters. I would have thought that he'd want to stick close to his own social class," Lady Charlotte commented.

"Well, he didn't he chose me," Storm told her.

"Yes, well how old are you?" Lady Charlotte asked her.

"I'm almost nineteen," Storm told her, beginning to get angry with their interrogation.

"He could have married my oldest daughter, but he married her. She's so much younger than her. A six year difference! He could have had my youngest then if he wanted a young one," Lady Catherine exclaimed.

"Obviously, the only reason he married her was because she was pretty," Lady Georgiana told Lady Catherine.

"Yes, well I think my daughters are much prettier. You really don't belong here dear. Zelos is too good for you. He was the most eligible bachelor and you stole him away from all of our society's finest ladies.

Storm had nothing to say to them. She had always felt that Zelos was too good for her and now she was getting a statement from people who had known him his whole life. She stared down at the ground feeling defeated. Suddenly, Zelos broke through the circle of women looking for her. He saw the look on her face and immediately knew what had happened. He knew how these women thought. He took a hold of Storm's hand, causing her to look up at him.

"Excuse us ladies," Zelos said as he pulled Storm out of the group of women.

Zelos took Storm out of the ballroom and out onto the balcony. They stood out on the balcony and looked out at the moonlit ocean in front of them.

"Storm, don't let anything those women tell you get to you," Zelos finally said.

"I...I didn't let it get to me," Storm lied.

"Don't lie. It's okay to tell me the truth. What did they say?" Zelos asked her.

She knew there was no point in lying to him about it, no matter how much she hated getting sympathy. "They said that they couldn't believe that you'd marry someone like me. They said that you were too good for me and they're right," Storm confessed.

Zelos grabbed Storm by the shoulders and turned her to face him. "How could I be too good for you? I think it's the other way around. You saved me before and you save me everyday. You're my angel, and not just because you have angel wings but because you're my savior. I really don't deserve to have someone like you," Zelos told her as he hugged her tightly.

"You saved me too," Storm told him. "I love you."

"I love you too Storm," Zelos replied.

Storm was so happy in his arms and she began to cry. She was crying thinking about everything that she had done to him. She was pregnant and wasn't even sure if it was his child. She couldn't believe how stupid she'd been and that she'd let her emotions get a hold of her. She knew that she was going to be faithful to Zelos from then on, she was quitting Yuan completely from that moment.

After they hugged, Storm and Zelos looked back into the ballroom and saw that some of the couples were out dancing on the floor. She saw that Genis and Presea were in the group. Genis was dancing as Presea rested her head on his chest in contentment. Storm couldn't help but smile at the sight of the two.

They both looked out over the ocean again and Storm sighed silently. "This is nice," she whispered.

"The party?" Zelos asked.

"No, it's nice being here with you," Storm said as she rested her head against his arm. He reached down and held her hand, squeezing it gently.

* * *

Well, that's it for this chapter. I hope that you all liked it. Not too much humor I know, but you can't expect me to be funny ALL the time. Anyway, tell me what you thought. Thanks for reading. Wow! I just realized how long this chapter is. 


	10. Chapter 10: New Problems

All right, it's about time for an update right? Sorry that I've been taking so long lately. Anyway, I think I finally know how I want most of this story to go. Anyway, this is the last chapter where things will probably be moving slowly (day by day, week by week). Things will be picking up now. Anyway, enjoy this chapter. Oh, and there are new links on my profile page. This includes two new videos and two pictures by reviewers of Storm (they're awesome). Anyway, you should all go and check that out too. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 10: New Problems

Storm and Zelos had enjoyed their stay at Altamira for the week, but they decided that it was time for them to go. They were going to head back to Mizuho to get Kratos and then they'd go to Iselia to tell Colette. Storm was excited that she was almost done telling everyone the good news, she really wanted to get back home. She was still being plagued by morning sickness and it was making her very weak feeling all the time. Zelos could tell that she was getting worn down and wanted to get her back home as soon as he could as well.

Storm and Zelos walked over to where they had left their rheihard while they were in Altamira, but Storm didn't feel like riding it this day.

"What do you mean?" Zelos asked her.

"I mean, I want to fly on my own today. I can't stand riding that thing and I want to fly to Mizuho. It's not that far and I'm not that big yet. Let me enjoy it while I'm still aerodynamic enough," Storm pleaded.

"Fine, but be careful," Zelos warned her.

"Okay Kratos...geez," Storm teased him.

Storm stood next to the rheihard and focused hard on letting her wings out, but nothing was happening. Storm tried harder and harder to get them out but with no success. Storm stopped trying as her eyes got huge.

"What's the matter? Are you okay?" Zelos asked, panic on the edge of his voice.

Storm looked at him and began to break down in front of him. "I can't get my wings to come out, no matter how hard I try!" Storm screeched.

"Calm down, maybe you can still do other things. Try something else," he told her.

Storm began to try everything that popped into her head. She tried to use Lightning, Spread, Outburst, even Judgement, but she couldn't get anything to work for her. She started crying and Zelos went up to her and hugged her.

"Hey, I'm sure that this just has something to do with the pregnancy and you'll be fine once you have the baby. Just consider yourself to be like everyone else now," Zelos comforted her.

Storm thought about what he said and it dawned on her that she was getting what she always wanted, a chance to be "normal." She looked up at Zelos and smiled at him.

"I can be normal? That's what I've always wanted and I freaked out about losing my powers. I can't believe that. This is great!" Storm said enthusiastically.

"Whoa, it shouldn't be that exciting. Remember, I love you the way you are, you're normal to me. What's normal anyway?" Zelos asked her.

"Normal is not being a freak girl with weird angel powers. Normal is being able to walk around without being attacked by one of your enemies who's trying to take over the world. Normal is wonderful, something I've always wanted," Storm told him.

"Normal is also boring," Zelos told her. "But you're not boring are you?"

"No, not too boring yet, but that must mean that you're very normal," she teased.

Zelos gave her a nasty glare at that remark which soon formed into a smile before he replied, "Well, at least I'm not completely defenseless now."

The next thing Zelos knew, he was on the ground with a large bump on his head where Storm clobbered him. "Not too defenseless, huh?" Storm asked him as she hovered over him.

Zelos stood up and rubbed the back of his head as he looked at her with an angry expression on her face. "You're cute when you're angry. Cute...but scary," he said.

Storm couldn't help but laugh at this and they both got on board the rheihard as they set off for Mizuho. Once they got there, Storm was feeling very exhausted, she was beginning to get worn out much more easily. Zelos took her to Sheena's house where Sheena let her rest for awhile. Kratos came into the room that Storm was in while she was resting and came up to her.

"How was your trip to Altamira?" he asked her.

"Great, I'm just a little tired from traveling," she told him.

"Yes, that's what I was coming to tell you. I think that it would be best if you and Zelos headed back to Meltokio. You shouldn't have to keep traveling around," Kratos told her.

"But what about Colette?" Storm asked Kratos desperately.

"Sheena and Lloyd have offered to go and tell her themselves. If Colette wishes to talk to you personally, they will escort her to Meltokio," Kratos answered.

"Okay," Storm finally agreed.

"Good, I'll go tell Sheena and Lloyd," Kratos said as he made his way towards the door, but Storm called him before he could leave.

"Dad, how have Lloyd and Sheena been, if you know what I mean?" Storm asked him.

"Well, I've caught them kissing more times than I ever caught you and Zelos when you first started dating," Kratos told her.

"We were pretty good at hiding from you though," Storm commented to him.

"I know...unfortunately," Kratos said as he finally left the room.

"Well, at least that's working out," Storm sighed as she went back to sleep.

Storm and Zelos made their way back to Meltokio the next day. Storm was so excited to finally be back in her home. But what she wasn't expecting was the surprise Zelos had for her. He led her upstairs and took her into a brand new room right next to theirs. She looked inside and saw that Zelos had arranged for a nursery to built while they were gone. What surprised her was the color of the room. When she looked in, everything was pink.

"Zelos, what if it's a boy?" Storm asked him.

"Well, I figured that only real men can wear pink, plus I wear pink so what's so wrong with that?" Zelos explained to her.

Storm sighed, but was happy with his answer. She was secretly hoping that her child would be a girl, but if it was a boy he was covered as well.

* * *

Well, that's it for this chapter. I know that it's kinda short but you can all live with that right? Anyway, the next chapter will jump ahead to probably about 3-4 months into her pregnancy. Storm and Zelos are going to be going for a visit to see Seles. How will these two interact, I guess you'll have to wait and find out. Well, don't forget to review and to check out the links on my profile page. Thanks! 


	11. Chapter 11: In Laws

Okay, it's about time for an update, right? I really hope you like this chapter, you'll get to learn about how Storm and Seles interact. Oh, and you'll find this out in the story, but they've met each other before, obviously because she's Zelos' sister. Anyway, I hope that you enjoy. Oh, and there's a new picture link on my profile page, and it's colored. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 11: In-Laws

It had been about 3 months since Storm and Zelos returned home from their journey around Symphonia, telling everyone about their news. Colette had come over after she learned the news, and she was sure to bring along a lot of cute stuffed animals to leave in the baby's room. She was still as perky and cheerful as she had always been. Storm was really starting to look pregnant at 4months along. She was beginning to get a obvious bulge and anyone who saw her could guess that she was expecting. Her morning sickness had finally calmed down, but she still couldn't use any of her powers. Kratos had recently bought a house in Meltokio, moving away from Luin to be close to his daughter and his soon-to-be grandchild. He couldn't fight the fact that he was lonely without any of his family around, but he decided to keep up his mercenary work in Meltokio.

Storm was relaxing in the parlor one day when Zelos came into the room holding up a letter. Storm looked up at him questionably as he waved the letter at her.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked him as he plopped down next to her.

"It's Seles. She wants us to come and visit her tomorrow," Zelos replied happily as he showed her the letter. Storm grabbed it from his hand and proceeded to read it herself.

"Uh...Zelos, this is an invitation for you to see her. There's nothing in here about me...thank Martel," Storm pointed out, mumbling the last part under her breath.

"I'm sure that she just forgot to put down your name, besides we're all family," Zelos responded.

"Zelos, your sister hates me. Every time we go and visit her, she seems to like me less and less," Storm told him.

"That's not true, you just aren't trying to be her friend. You weren't very friendly towards her on our first visit to her. So, come on please just try and be nice to her. I really want you two to get along. Please Storm, do it for me," he begged her.

"Fine, I'll go and I'll try to get to know her, but if she starts acting rude I'm not even going to attempt it," Storm agreed.

"She'll be fine, I know it," Zelos promised her.

The next day, the two took the rheihard to Luin where Zelos had bought a house for his sister. Once they got there, they made their way down the streets of Luin searching for Seles' house. Once they got to her house, Zelos knocked on the door as Storm stood behind him, knowing full well how this encounter was going to turn out. Suddenly, the door opened and Seles appeared in the doorway. She looked out and saw Zelos in front of her, giving him a hug when she saw him.

"Come on in and make yourself at home," Seles offered as Zelos stepped into the house.

Storm followed behind Zelos, but before she could get into the house Seles slammed the door in her face. Storm tried her best to contain her rage as she stared at the door that almost pummeled her in the face. She was about to make her way back to the rheihard to wait for Zelos when suddenly the door opened again.

"Oh, I'm sorry Storm, I didn't realize you were here as well," Seles said apologetically, but her face showed a different expression since she was facing away from Zelos. Storm walked over to the room that Zelos was sitting in. She saw him in a small couch and was about to sit down next to him, but Seles shoved her over and sat next to her brother before she could get there. Storm was then forced to sit in a chair across the room.

Seles and Zelos proceeded to talk about how their lives were going, Storm glaring angrily at the young girl. Seles managed to turn her gaze towards Storm, looking her over and immediately realizing that she was pregnant. It was obvious that the idea disturbed and angered her. Seles looked quickly back at Zelos and finally asked him what she already knew.

"So, are you two expecting?"

"Yeah, isn't it great? I'm gonna be a dad. Think about it Seles, that means that you're going to be an aunt," Zelos replied excitedly.

"Great...," Seles replied unenthusiastically, returning Storm's glare.

Zelos began to notice the tension between the two and decided that they needed a little bit of alone time to get acquainted.

"Hey, I'm gonna go and get us something to eat and drink. I'll be right back, I know where it all is so you two stay here and bond," Zelos ordered as he left the room.

For what seemed like hours, the two exchanged cold glares from across the room. Storm wasn't happy to be with Seles and the same went for Seles. Finally, Seles decided to speak up.

"Well, I can't believe that you two are still together," Seles commented.

"Yes, and we're _so_ happy together. And how's _your _love life doing," Storm replied.

Seles grumbled under her breath after this comment, but soon regained her composure. "You know, let's not fool ourselves anymore and get straight to the point. I don't like you Storm. I wish that my brother could see what you really are," she said.

"What I really am? And what exactly do you think I am?" Storm yelled back.

"Come on, everyone knows that you still work for those Desians, for Cruxis. It's so obvious. I know that one of these days you're going to go back to them and then you'll kill your friends and my brother," Seles yelled as she stood up, pointing an accusing finger at her.

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. I am not with Cruxis, they're all gone, I made sure of it. If you really think that I'd go back to something like that then you really don't know me that well," Storm shouted back.

"Yeah, well I also know that you once betrayed Lloyd and you seemed to be telling the truth to him a lot. What makes me believe that you're telling the truth now?" Seles pointed out as she sat back down on the couch.

"Yeah, well whatever you believe doesn't bother me because I don't like you at all," Storm told her.

"Oh really, and why's that?" Seles asked her.

"It's because of everything that your family has put Zelos through. Do you even realize what your mother did to him? He's still getting over all of that. Have you ever even asked him about that? Did you ever care, or do you even care at all? Why shouldn't I believe that you're out for revenge on him because of what happened to your mother. She wanted him dead, why wouldn't you? Like mother, like daughter," Storm yelled at her, tears forming on her face at the thought of everything that Zelos had been through.

" I love my brother and I didn't even have anything to do with what my mother did," Seles cried back.

After this the two sat back in their seats and looked away from each other for a few minutes. Suddenly, Seles broke the silence.

"It's too bad that Zelos will have a damned child."

"What the hell did you say?" Storm said, ready to begin a fight at any second.

"You heard me, he could have been married to any of the wonderful bachelorettes around Meltokio but he chose you. You, the freak with the strange angel powers and the ability to use elven magic. What are you anyway?" Seles answered.

"Oh no, we're not getting into this shit again," Storm warned her as she slowly stood up.

"Yeah, Zelos' child will be a damned child of Cruxis, just like it's mother. Zelos will be ruined once people hear figure out who you used to work for," Seles laughed.

"You had better shut the hell up about my child, I'm warning you," Storm threatened her.

"I normally wouldn't hit a pregnant woman, but I'd make an exception for you," Seles replied as she slowly got out of her seat. Suddenly, Zelos walked in, oblivious to anything that had taken place between them.

"I brought snacks," he said happily.

"Oh, thank you so much big brother," Seles chirped.

Storm couldn't believe the act that Seles was putting on for her brother. She officially gave up on trying to befriend her, even for Zelos. She stormed out of the house and made her way to the rheihard to wait until Zelos was done.

A few minutes later, Zelos rushed up to her. "Storm, what happened? Why did you leave?" he asked.

"It's nothing...," Storm replied as she stared at the ground.

"Storm, you need to tell me what's bothering you," Zelos told her.

"I don't want to talk about it, okay?" Storm cried as she stared up at him with tears rolling down her face.

"Okay, but please tell me eventually," Zelos told her as he hugged her as she cried into his chest. She knew that Seles was right about her, she knew she wasn't good enough for Zelos. She didn't deserve anything that he did for her. She didn't even deserve the comforting embrace he was giving her at that moment.

After their hug, Zelos and Storm decided to head back towards Meltokio so Storm could relax for the rest of the day.

* * *

Well, that's it from me. I hope I didn't make Seles too much of a bitch, but I never really liked her. Isn't it easy to see who my least favorite and even my favorite characters are? Anyway, please review and tell me what you thought, and don't forget to go to my profile page and get those links to the pictures. Thanks and I hope you all liked it. 


	12. Chapter 12: Discovery

All right, I'm trying to update a little faster. I hope that everyone hasn't gotten upset that it's been taking me so long lately. Anyway, thanks for all the reviews for the last chapter. I hope that everyone likes this chapter, it's an important one. Oh, and just a note for everyone, there will be more drama in the rest of the chapters. I'll try to throw a little humor in too but it's going to get a little darker. That doesn't mean much because it wasn't that dark before. You could probably tell that I was switching from the last chapter, but I thought I'd warn you. Okay, so here's the next chapter.

Chapter 12: Discovery

It had been about two months since Storm's incident with Seles and she had gotten over her anger as long as she wasn't forced to come in contact with Zelos' sister ever again. One things was certain in her mind, she wasn't going to let her around her child if she could help it. She didn't care how much Zelos did like his sister, she was sure that his sister didn't like her or her child.

Storm didn't really want to get up and move around as much as she used to. She was sitting on the edge of the bed one night, waiting for Zelos to join her for the night. He came in after he finished what he was doing downstairs and he sat on the edge of the bed next to her. He looked at her a few moments when suddenly Storm jumped a little bit.

"What is it?" he asked her.

"The baby kicked," she replied as a smile spread across her face. "Wait, I know. Here," Storm added as she grabbed Zelos' hand and placed it on her stomach after feeling around for the right spot.

"What are you doing?" he asked her.

"Just wait...there! Did you feel it?" she asked him as he drew his hand away.

"Yeah I did. Wow, our baby's really strong," Zelos commented.

"You bet," Storm added.

They went to bed for the night, Storm content for one of the few times in her life. She had no idea what the next day held for her.

* * *

Zelos went off to work the next day, leaving Storm home alone as usual. Kratos usually came over to check up on her, but today he was on mercenary work for Meltokio. There had been some bandits running though the countryside and he was hired to get rid of them which would be a synch for the seraph. So, Storm took the day off to relax in her quiet house.

Her peace didn't last long as she heard a knock on the door. She slowly got up and made her way to the door. She didn't have any idea who was at the door, but she certainly wasn't expecting who stood in her doorway.

"Yuan! What are you doing here?" Storm asked, surprised by his appearance.

Yuan didn't answer her question right away as he rushed into the house and abruptly closed the door behind him. He looked at Storm and a mixture of emotions ran across his face.

"So, it's true. You are pregnant. Why didn't you tell me?" he asked her, almost angrily.

"I was afraid of what you'd say. I was afraid you'd want to come over all the time," she explained to him.

Suddenly, Storm and Yuan heard the sound of one of the maids moving through the house. Yuan sighed loudly and looked over at Storm. "Maybe we should go somewhere else to talk about this," he offered her.

"Why do I need to explain this to you? It's my own business anyway," Storm replied angrily.

"Why are you acting so defensive about this? There's something else to this whole thing isn't there?" Yuan asked her.

Storm knew that she couldn't keep hiding her worries from him, after all they were his concerns as well. "Fine, but we're going to go outside the city," she told him.

"Fine by me," he replied as he opened the front door for her.

Storm and Yuan made their way to a small wooded area not too far from the city. Storm sat down on a patch of grass and Yuan sat next to her.

"So, are you going to tell me what's bothering you?" Yuan calmly asked, concern was beginning to grow in his voice.

"Well, this might be hard for you, but I'm afraid that this baby might not be Zelos'," she told him.

Yuan sat in silence for a while as he tried to process what she was telling him. He didn't really know what to say or how to comfort her in this situation, but he knew that he was the only one she would be able to talk to about it.

"Okay, there's no guarantee that it's mine, but if it is you can be sure that I'll be here for you and the baby. This is why you didn't want to tell me right?" Yuan asked her.

Storm nodded her head as she looked up at him sadly. "I'm sorry Yuan, but we really can't be together anymore. If it's your child then maybe, but until then I can't do it to Zelos. He's been too good to me and I can't stand hurting him anymore," Storm told him.

"I understand, but can I have one more kiss?" Yuan asked her.

Storm agreed to this as she closed in on him and they exchanged one last long, passionate kiss. This all would have been great and things could have ended between them except that someone had walked over and caught them kissing. Storm and Yuan separated from the kiss and stared at each other for a few moments before a voice boomed out of the woods.

"Storm, what is going on!" Kratos raged as he stormed over to the now ex-couple.

"Dad! What are you doing here?" Storm asked, her voice already past the point of panic and moving on to fear.

"I _was _heading back to Meltokio after defeating those bandits and I heard some voices coming from over here so I decided to check on it. It's a damn good thing that I did check on it too," he raged. "You have some major explaining to do. I can't believe that you'd do something like this to Zelos."

"Daddy I can explain," Storm began.

"I sure as hell hope so," Kratos replied angrily.

"Don't blame her for all of this," Yuan yelled at Kratos.

"Yuan I'll deal with you later, why don't you leave," Kratos told him as the two stared down each other.

Storm pushed back Yuan and motioned him to leave for the time being. Yuan did as she wished and left the two alone.

"Okay, well back when Yuan and I were off defeating Desians, things started happening between us. I don't know how it happened but we fell in love. I didn't mean to do anything that would hurt Zelos, but love didn't really give me that option. But, you see, we were just breaking up now, we're quitting each other completely and actually we haven't seen each other since back in Mizuho," Storm said, trying to add a small smile at the last comment, but Kratos wasn't smiling back at her.

"I don't really know if I can believe that part. It didn't really look like you two were doing a good job of breaking up," Kratos told her.

"Daddy, I'm telling the truth, please believe me," Storm begged him.

"Storm, if there's one thing about you that hasn't changed about you, one thing that Cruxis has permanently implanted in your brain, it's lying. You can never tell the truth, especially to me," Kratos told her.

"That's not true," Storm shot back.

"Right, like all the times you've lied to me about your past. What about all the things you had hidden from me? You were happy enough to tell Zelos about it all, but you couldn't even tell your own father? Did Mithos teach you to hide everything from me while you were growing up?" he asked her, it was obvious that he was still extremely angry and now hurt.

"Wait, did you hear all of that?" Storm asked him.

"Yeah, and I can't believe that you were going to keep all of that a secret from me, but I suppose you would have told your new sweetheart that," he answered.

"Dad, I'm sorry, but I didn't want you to think any of that was your fault. I didn't want to hurt you," Storm told him tears forming on her face.

"But it was my fault that all of that happened to you, that's why you should have told me. When you kept it a secret from me and lied to me about it, that hurt me," Kratos confessed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you," Storm said sadly as she looked at her father.

"That's not what matters now. I'm still upset that you would do something like this to Zelos. I'm sure that her doesn't know yet. So, when are you planning on telling him about this. That's the only way that you're going to make this all right," Kratos advised her.

"Well, I wasn't really planning on telling him. You aren't going to tell him are you dad? Please don't say anything," Storm begged him.

Kratos thought this over for a hew moments before coming to his decision. "I'm not going to say anything. You're old enough to make your own decisions about your life. Just remember that he'll probably find out on his own and then he'd be even more upset. It's better that you tell him the truth yourself. Of course, it would have been better if you hadn't done this at all," Kratos said as he sighed.

"I know. I guess my emotions just took over and I didn't even think about Zelos," Storm admitted.

"You know you have a brain and you do use it some of the time, but most of the time you rush into things following your emotions without thinking about the consequences. That's one of your many downfalls that you need to learn to overcome," Kratos told her.

"I know. Now, I think I need to go and think about this," Storm told Kratos as she began to make her way back to Meltokio.

"Yes, and I think I need to have a talk with Yuan," Kratos added as he began to make his way to the field that Yuan was waiting in.

"Dad, don't hurt him or anything, okay?" she asked him, laughing a little.

"I'm not promising anything," he told her.

On her way home Storm thought about what she was going to have to do. Finally she made the biggest decision of her life. She was going to tell Zelos the truth. He deserved to hear it from her. She knew that there was a chance that it could break up their relationship but she knew that he was justified in leaving her. She just wished she could have prevented what happened between her and Yuan.

Storm walked into her house and saw that Zelos was already back and was sitting on the couch relaxing a bit before dinner.

"Storm, where have you been? You look really pale, maybe you should lie down for a little while," Zelos suggested as he had her sit down next to him.

"Zelos, there is something very important that I need to tell you," she began.

* * *

Well, that's it here. I decided to leave you all with a cliffie for today. I'm so evil. Well, tell me what you thought. I love to hear from all of you. Thanks! 


	13. Chapter 13: The Truth

Yay! Update time! Okay, I know that everyone's been waiting for this chapter and you all want to know what happens so I won't waste my time typing here. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 13: The Truth

"Zelos there is something very important that I need to tell you," Storm began as Zelos spotted the worried look on her face.

"What's the matter? Did something happen? You can tell me," Zelos told her, noticing how hesitant she was to speak. He pulled her into an embrace trying to relax her. Unfortunately, this was making her feel even worse about what she was going to say to him.

"Zelos, please don't be upset with me," she said softly into his chest.

"About what? What could I be upset with you about?" he asked her, almost laughing at what she was saying.

"I wanted to tell you this before you found out about it from someone else. I wanted to make sure that you got the entire truth from me so I'm going to be completely honest with you," she told him.

"Okay?" Zelos was beginning to get worried about what she was trying to tell him. She always acted unsure of herself when something was bothering her and she wasn't willing to tell him about it. This time though, she was going to tell him about it, but he didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing in this case.

"Zelos, I've been seeing someone else. I've been seeing someone behind your back. I don't know why I did it. I guess I just rushed into this without even thinking things through," she started as tears began to well up in her eyes. She couldn't bear to look at him, but she knew that he was having a hard time processing what she was saying.

"What?" he finally said, his voice barely audible.

"Zelos, I'm sorry but this baby, I'm not even completely sure if it's yours," she couldn't handle it anymore the tears started to fall and she couldn't believe that she had actually told him.

Zelos took her by the shoulders and pulled her away from him so he could look her in the face. "You did what! Why!" he asked, his voice getting louder, but it was beginning to quiver from his emotions.

"I...I don't know. It just sort of happened," Storm said.

"It just sorta happened? Things like that don't just happen. You were there and you could have stopped it. You didn't though did you?" Zelos asked her, tears forming on his face.

"No, and I should have, I'm so sorry Zelos. I didn't mean to hurt you. I would never try to hurt you," Storm said.

"Well you managed to," he told her. "Why would you do this? Weren't you happy with me?" Zelos asked her.

"Yes, I was very happy with you. You make me so happy," Storm honestly told him.

"Then why did you go and mess around with someone else? Who was it?" Zelos attempted to find out.

"I don't think it would be a good idea to tell you, it could make things uncomfortable between the two of you," Storm told him.

"It's someone I know? Who would it be?" Zelos began to think things over for a few moments as he thought of all the men she was around before she was pregnant. Suddenly, it came to him, the only man she was around before she was pregnant. "It's Yuan isn't it?"

"Zelos, please don't do anything drastic," Storm begged him.

"I can't believe that he would do something like this. I can't believe that you would do something like this," Zelos yelled at her before he got up out of the couch and walked to the other side of the room in a huff.

"Zelos...," Storm almost whispered as she came up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder gently.

Zelos jerked away from Storm, facing away from her so she couldn't see the emotions on his face. "I'm going to go and think all of this over, but I can't be around you right now," he stated as he walked out of the room and went outside.

Storm stared at the door that he left out of for a few moments before she ran over to the couch crying her heart out. It was one of the few times in her life where she let out all of her emotions. She didn't know what she would do without Zelos, her life would never be the same without his love. She couldn't bear to lose him. She soon cried herself to sleep on the couch.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kratos and Yuan were having a talk out in the field outside of Meltokio.

"Yuan, what have you done?" Kratos asked angrily.

"I can't help the way I feel Kratos. I can't help that I fell in love with Storm," Yuan boldly stated.

"Well, let me tell you that if you ruin her marriage, I'll ruin you," Kratos threatened him. "What happened with loving Martel?"

"Kratos, you've been mourning for almost seventeen years now," Yuan began. "I've been mourning Martel's death for almost 4000 years. I now realize that she wouldn't want me to ignore my heart for her. Trying to hold on to her this long makes me as bad as Mithos."

"Yes, but I am sure that Martel would not want you to break up my daughter's marriage," Kratos stated.

"Well, that part was something that neither of us seemed to have control over. It's just that these emotions took over and we lost all thought of what we were doing. Believe me, if I would have been thinking straight I would have realized that you would possibly kill me," Yuan told him.

"You could have gone with some other girl, but why my daughter? Yuan, think about it," Kratos asked him angrily, still trying to cope with the idea.

"I already told you that my heart took over. I can't help who fall in love with," Yuan told him.

"I could get a lot angrier with you about this, but Storm made me promise that I wouldn't hurt you," Kratos said. "We'll move on, but if I catch you alone with Storm again, you'll wish you weren't there," Kratos warned him as he drew out his sword for him to see.

* * *

_Storm was standing in a beautiful field full of thousands of different colored wildflowers. A strong breeze blew through her hair, causing some of the petals to blow around. She looked up and saw Zelos standing in the distance. He was smiling at her as he ran towards he, she soon began to make her way through the field as she tried to meet him. A few feet before they met though he disappeared, leaving her alone in the field once again. Suddenly, the sky in the field became gray and cloudy as the flowers began to die, their colors also fading to gray. _

_The next thing she knew, she was in downtown Meltokio among the hustle and bustle of a routine day in the market. She was trying to find her way through the swarms of people. She managed to squeeze her way out of the large crowd. Standing next to a building, surrounded by four women stood Zelos, laughing at something one of the girls was saying._

_"Zelos!" Storm called, but Zelos failed to hear her._

_"Oh, Master Zelos you're so wonderful," one of the women cooed._

_"Hey lady get away from him," Storm said angrily as she got right into the woman's face._

_"Hey, hey ladies, let's not fight. There's enough Zelos to go around. Now, my little angel, try not to be so rude to my hunnies," Zelos told Storm as he broke up Storm's confrontation._

_"Your hunny! What about me!" Storm asked desperately._

_"Well, you can be my hunny too, I can never have too many," Zelos replied._

_"What's happened to you Zelos, you're not like this anymore," Storm asked him._

_"Sorry, but you must be mistaking me for someone else, but I don't know how you could confuse this sexy face with someone else's," Zelos replied, laughing as all the other women joined him._

"Milady...milady, please wake up milady," the maid called desperately trying to wake Storm from her sleep.

"What? Oh, it was just a dream. Yes, I'm sorry what is it?" Storm asked as she slowly pulled herself up.

"Oh my lady, you do not look well at all. Is something the matter, you're so pale and your eyes are all blood-shot," the maid asked her.

"No, I'm fine. What was it you wanted to tell me?" Storm asked her.

"Oh, Master Zelos wanted to see you in the garden. What is wrong with him? He's been out there for hours. He doesn't look well either," the maid told her.

"It's no matter, I'll go out and see him," Storm replied as she had the maid help her off the couch.

Storm walked out into their garden. The garden was one her favorite places. The garden held a small pond with fish in it, a fountain, and was full of many varieties of plants. The whole garden was surrounded by a large brick wall to keep other neighbors out. There was a small bench that was on one side of the garden where the pond was. Zelos was seated at this bench and seemed as if he was lost in thought. Storm hesitantly walked over and sat down next to him, not daring to look him in the eyes.

"Storm...," Zelos sighed.

Storm didn't answer, she didn't even look at him, too scared to see what the look on his face would be.

"Storm, I'll admit that I'm not happy about what you did," Zelos started. "But, I also know that I've made many stupid mistakes in my life. You were brave enough to tell me the truth about this, that must mean something," he told her.

Storm slowly lifted up her head but still kept her eyes away from his own.

"I still love you and I love that child, whether it's mine or not. If it's not mine, we'll figure out what to do together. I can't stand to leave either of you. I have a deal," Zelos told her.

Storm looked up at him with a look of confusion on her face. She had absolutely no idea what he was talking about.

"Have you completely broken up with Yuan?" he asked her. She nodded at him. "Okay, if I don't bring up anything about my past relationships and all of the stupid mistakes I've made, you don't bring up anything about Yuan. But remember, from here on out, it's just you and me and no one else," Zelos told her.

"I promise, I'll never do anything so selfish again in my life. I'm sorry that I hurt you," Storm told him as she began to cry once again.

"Well, I actually think that it's a big step for you to actually tell me how you feel and what's bothering you. You always keep that kind of stuff hidden. Maybe one day you'll be able to tell me that stuff much easier," Zelos told her as he hugged her to stop her crying.

"I love you Zelos, with all my heart," Storm told him.

"I love you too. But answer one thing for me. Did you do this because you weren't happy?" he asked her.

"No, I'm very happy with you. You almost treat me too well, I don't deserve it," she told him.

"You deserve everything and more," Zelos told her as he kissed her on the forehead.

* * *

Well, that's it for this chapter. I don't know what's next but I'll get it soon. Anyway, I hope you like it. Don't expect an update for a few days, I'm gonna be busy. Friday, maybe, that's why I updated tonight. Anyway, tell me what you thought. Thanks! 


	14. Chapter 14: Surprise

Yet another update. Okay, we're slowly getting to the end of this story and just to let everyone know, we're skipping the Yuan and Storm story and moving on to the next story. I have more ideas for that one rather than the other one and I really can't wait to write it. Besides the vote was pretty much a tie so I decided to make the final vote...sorry everyone who wanted the other story. Anyway, here's the next chapter.

* * *

Chapter 14: Surprise

Storm was completely caught off guard when Zelos suddenly woke her up to take her shopping. Sure, it was her birthday, but she wasn't expecting anything special to happen, especially with what had happened between them lately. Nevertheless, she dragged herself out of bed and got ready to go downtown with him for the morning. Zelos promised that he would buy her new clothes for her and the baby, even if they didn't know if it was a girl or boy.

Storm was rushed out of the house so quickly that she didn't even notice the group of people that walked in after she and Zelos left the house.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kratos was taking a break in a local diner as he waited for the time to come when he had to go to Storm's house for her birthday. He couldn't believe that she was already nineteen, it seemed like a few days she was just born. He couldn't believe that after all these years, time still flew by.

Kratos was just about ready to leave when he heard a couple behind him talking. Kratos was sitting at the long counter on a bar stool. The two behind him were seated at one of the booths by the windows. A normal human wouldn't be able to hear their conversation from where he was sitting, but Kratos had a hard time not hearing it.

"So, did you hear about Storm?" the woman asked the man.

"Yeah, word on the street says she's pregnant with Zelos' kid," the man replied.

"I feel sorry for the child. Having two pathetic parents will really do some damage on it," the woman commented.

Kratos could his hand start to ache as he instinctively clenched his fist. He decided that it was best not to start anything in this diner, especially since he had no right to fight someone for speaking their own opinions, even if they were cruel.

"Yeah, the father is a failed Chosen and a traitor, he's worthless," the man stated.

"Well, the mother's not much better. She's a human who betrayed Cruxis, not to mention that she betrayed her friends and family as well. You can't get much lower than that, just add the fact that she's a freak with angel powers," the woman laughed.

"She doesn't even deserve those angelic or elven powers she got. Why's she so damn special? The rest of us have elven powers and are persecuted, she's got them too and she lives like royalty. Something has to be done about that," the man added angrily.

"Well, we all know that they'll have a damned child anyway. There's no doubt about that," the woman concluded.

Kratos had had just about enough. He slammed the money he owed on the counter and made his way over to the booth the two were seated at. He gripped the handle on his sword and got ready to use it at any second.

"I won't sit here quietly while you speak about my daughter, my grandchild, or my son-in-law like that. I will not allow that," Kratos boomed as everyone in the entire diner stopped what they were doing to see what was going on.

"What are you talking about?" the man asked nervously.

The woman on the other hand recognized who he was and responded a little more confidently. "You're Kratos? Well, like father like daughter I suppose."

"You can mock me all you want but I won't stand for you to say anything against my daughter, you have no idea what she's like," Kratos yelled as his sword was pulled out a little farther.

"I do know that she claimed that she betrayed Cruxis to help end discrimination for half-elves, but all I've seen her do is get married to Zelos and live like a queen in her mansion. Meanwhile, every half-elf, including us, is still being persecuted and discriminated against. We're lucky if we find a place that we can live, or work for that matter. What are we supposed to do, wait for her to save us?" the man butted in, realizing that he had Kratos in a spot where he really couldn't attack them.

Kratos couldn't take it anymore as he pulled out his sword and threw it into the table for the two to see. "I'm not afraid to start a scene in here. Now, if I were you I'd stop saying those lies and get out of here," Kratos said through clenched teeth.

"Oh, we'll be happy to be on our way, I hope that we didn't manage to ruin your day too much," the woman called as she and the man got up out of the booth and left the diner.

The entire room was quiet after the two left, everyone staring at Kratos as he pulled his sword out of the table. Kratos went over to the manager who had come out to see what all the commotion was about, as he set down a large amount of money to pay for the damages he caused. He then walked past the accusing faces as he too left the diner.

* * *

Storm couldn't believe all the shopping she and Zelos had gotten done and she was happy to almost be home. The two walked in, Zelos in front, as Storm was about scared out of her mind. She couldn't believe what she was seeing in front of her.

Sheena, Raine, Presea, and Colette were all in their parlor with pink and blue streamers all over the place. This was accompanied by pink and blue balloons and a pile of presents in the corner. Storm was speechless at the sight in front of her.

"What is this?" Storm asked.

"A baby shower of course. You're eight and a half months pregnant, of course we're going to give you a shower," Sheena answered.

"Wow, I definitely wasn't expecting this," Storm replied.

"Well, I'm going to go, I'll be back in about two hours ladies," Zelos called as he went out the door.

After they got comfortable in the parlor, Storm and the others began to talk about how things were going for each of them. Storm's first question was for Sheena and her relationship with Lloyd.

"I can't believe how close we've gotten to each other lately. He's so sweet, I love spending time with him, even if it is for a mission. I really hope he decides to take it to the next step," Sheena told her.

"And that would be?" Storm asked her.

"I really hope he proposes soon," Sheena burst not afraid at all for everyone to hear.

Storm really hoped that her brother would get the idea through his dense head that Sheena wanted to get married, but she figured that she might need to help things along again. After all, it worked the last time she wanted their relationship to go to another level. Maybe this time she wouldn't use the walkie-talkie though.

Storm moved to Presea next, hoping that her and Genis's relationship she'd seen at the ball had been blossoming since then. "So Presea, how are things with you and Genis?" Storm asked with a large smile on her face.

"We were actually thinking of going on the journey to end discrimination together. I'd have to leave the Lazareno company, but I enjoy Genis's company," Presea replied, it was great to hear her opening up without her using quite as many large words in every sentence.

"That's great, you two are so adorable together," Storm said happily.

"So Colette, how's the road to teaching?" Sheena asked the young blonde.

"I'm almost ready to start working with the children. I really can't wait, I love them all so much," Colette said happily.

"Awesome, you'll make a great teacher," Storm said.

"There's no doubt about that," Raine said.

"Raine, what have you been up to," Sheena asked her suddenly.

"I was hoping that you'd ask me that," Raine began as she went into ruin mode. "I've been traveling around with my archeological party. We were recently studying the Otherworldly Gate. It was so fascinating...," Raine started as she began to go into detail of her research at the ruins. The others in the group were too afraid of the Professor's wrath to interrupt her and they let her begin her lecture. The only one in the group who seemed at all interested in the free lesson was Colette who was listening intently.

After a very long hour the Professor finally concluded her lecture. Storm slowly opened her eyes, having drifted off during the whole thing. "Well, now that we spent the entire baby shower listening to Raine's lecture...," Storm began before she noticed Raine's death glare. "What a wonderful lecture it was too and so riveting. What was it about again?" Storm asked.

"The Otherworldly Gate," Raine stated.

"Yeah that. Well, I suppose Zelos will be back soon now. Thank you all so much for all of the wonderful gifts and I appreciate all the support I have from all of you. It means a lot to me," Storm told them all.

"Hey, you're our friend, we're all here for each other," Sheena said. Suddenly, the front door opened and Zelos came in, followed by Lloyd, Genis, Regal, and Kratos. Storm was so shocked by all of the people that were gathered there that she was left speechless.

"Happy birthday Storm," Zelos said as he came up to her wrapping her up in a large hug.

"You were all in on this too?" Storm asked the girls behind her.

"Uh-huh," Sheena replied. "Happy birthday."

So, Storm and the others began to talk amongst themselves and Storm decided that it was a perfect opportunity to talk to her brother.

"So Lloyd, I hear things are going well with you and Sheena," Storm stated.

"Yeah, why do you ask?" Lloyd asked her.

Storm gave a large sigh, frustrated at her brother's lack of intelligence. "Well, I was thinking that you would be taking it up to another level sometime soon. I think she's waiting for you. You two are perfect for each other," Storm tried to hint to him, granted that it was a very big hint.

"What do you mean by the next level?" Lloyd asked her, apparently confused by her hint.

"Okay, I'm just gonna come out and say this. Lloyd, are you planning on proposing to her?" Storm asked him.

"Oh, I get it now. I was thinking about it, but I didn't know what she would say and I keep chickening out," Lloyd told her.

"What are you so afraid of? You defeated Mithos and reunited the two worlds and you're afraid to ask Sheena something that she's obviously going to agree on anyway," Storm yelled at him.

"Do you really think that she'd say yes?" Lloyd questioned.

"I wouldn't be telling you this if I wasn't sure of it," Storm answered.

"I think I'll do it. I mean, I've wanted to for awhile now, but I never could work up the courage. I'll do it soon, I promise," Lloyd replied happily.

"Good," Storm responded as she started to make her way to the other side of the room.

"Oh Storm," Lloyd called to her. Storm spun around to look at him. "Thanks," he told her as he went his own way.

"You've done more for me than I could ever do for you," Storm whispered as he went over to talk to Sheena.

Storm went over to where her father was sitting. He wasn't really talking to anyone else at the party, but that wasn't really uncommon for him. She sat down next to him and he tried to crack a small smile at her. "What's wrong?" she asked him.

"It's nothing. You shouldn't worry about it," Kratos replied. "Here, this is for you," he told her as he handed her a box. She took it and noticed how heavy it was. She opened the box and looked inside and couldn't believe what was inside.

Inside was a large hardcover book with moons and stars all over the cover. Storm opened the cover and looked inside. The book was from her childhood, it was read to her almost every night when she was younger. The book was very old, but it was in very good shape. It was from when Kratos was child and he was giving it to her. Inside were stories and legends that were told almost 4000 years ago. Storm hugged her father as she looked at the book. It was the perfect birthday present because it was for her and her child.

"That's for you to read to your child, keep those stories alive," Kratos told her.

"I will, thank you so much," Storm told him.

Kratos didn't care what anybody said about his daughter he knew what she was really like and he knew what she'd been through. He wasn't going to let anyone change his mind about that, he just hoped that he wouldn't be seeing them around anytime soon.

* * *

Well, that's it for this chapter and I hope you liked it. Anyway, thanks for reading now please review and tell me what you thought. For everyone who is missing the action desperately there may only be 2-3 more chapters for this story and then we're moving on to the action. For everyone who liked the peace, well, sorry but I'm bored with it myself. Quick thing about the next story is that it takes place 13 years after this one and involves Storm and her child as they face a new villain. New as in not in the game at all. Prepare for the takeover as Symphonia enters a new Dark Age. Thanks for reading. 


	15. Chapter 15: The Marketplace

Yay! Time to update. I got a bunch of new ideas for the next story so I can't wait until I can start it. I hope that everyone will like it and I hope I can make it just as good as A Storm Was Brewing in Cruxis. Anyway, here's the next chapter and I hope you all enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 15: The Marketplace

The day after Storm's surprise birthday/baby shower she and Zelos decided to go shopping again in downtown Meltokio. Once a month, downtown Meltokio became extremely busy as hundreds of vendors from all over Symphonia came to sell their wares. It was a tradition for Storm and Zelos to go and see what kinds of bargains they could find.

Once they made it to the center of town they split up to look through the hundreds of displays that were covering every corner of a few blocks. Storm was never able to believe how much stuff there was to look at. There were clothes, plants, food, jewelry, housewares, and many other things to look at. Storm was making her way towards a booth where a man was selling children's toys. Zelos, on the other hand, was checking out some of the outfits that another man was selling.

Storm didn't notice that she was being watched by a young child. In a dark alley across the street from the toy booth, a young half-elf girl was watching Storm very intently. Storm couldn't help but feel as if someone was watching her. She turned around and began to search for whoever was looking at her. Suddenly, she caught a glimpse of the small child who was peering out at her from the alley. Storm began to walk over to see if she needed some help.

When Storm got to the little girl she bent over and reached out her hand to her. "Are you lost? Do you need some help finding your mom and dad?" Storm asked, but the young girl slapped Storm's hand away.

"I don't want your help. You're a bad person," the little girl said.

"What? Why do you say that?" Storm asked her as she pulled her hand away.

"My mommy and daddy say so. They say that you is the reason why we aren't happy. You live in a big house and have lots a money, but we got nothin," the little girl yelled at her as she came out of the darkness.

She was a young half-elf girl, probably no more than five years old. She had long silver hair that was kept up in two pigtails held by red ribbons. She had one icy blue eye and one crimson eye that glared right through Storm as she judged her. She was wearing a long, white sleeveless sundress that came down to her ankles and she also wore white sandals.

"What makes you think that I did all that?" Storm asked her.

"It's because you don't like us half-elves," the young girl said.

"That's not true. I have friends who are half-elves," Storm protested.

"Well, I don't see you helpin any of us get a better life," the young girl yelled.

"I am trying, it's just going to take a while. Now, are you lost? What's your name?" Storm asked her.

"My name is Sutra and I don't need any help from you," she yelled as she ran away from Storm, back into the alley.

Storm didn't quite know how to react to the girl's words, but she couldn't help but understand her point. Storm really hadn't done a whole lot to help the half-elves, but she wanted to help them more than anything. She just really wished that she could help that girl understand that humans weren't all that bad.

After deciding that the young girl wasn't coming back, Storm decided to go back over to the booth with the toys so she could browse before Zelos decided that he wanted to go home. She noticed that there were more and more people coming to the market every minute as noon approached and she could barely make her way through the large crowd. She finally got to the booth she was looking for and began to sift through the piles and piles of toys.

Storm didn't realize that somebody was hunting her. Her angelic hearing had been lost, along with her powers, since she had become pregnant and she couldn't hear the sound of metal being taken out of a sheath close behind her. The crowd around her was too noisy for her to hear as someone made their way up behind her with one goal in their mind; to kill her.

Someone else noticed that Storm was in danger and was quickly pushing their way through the crowd to come to her rescue, but they were afraid they'd be too late for her. The knife came down near Storm's heart, as Storm was turned away from her attacker, but before it could come in contact with her, someone jumped in front of Storm, taking the blow for her.

Storm heard the sound of flesh being cut behind her and a cry of pain from someone very close to her, a sound that she never wanted to hear in her life. She also heard the frustrated cry from her attacker as they realized that they had not achieved their goal. The young man ran away from his crime scene, but had caused too much of a commotion in the crowd for him to escape. Several people caught him and the young woman that was with him as everyone gathered around the sad scene before them.

"Zelos, please say something," Storm cried as Zelos fell into her arms. She slowly moved him to the ground as he began to fade from loss of blood. He had taken a blow right in the chest and Storm was afraid that the attacker had gotten close to his heart.

"Storm, are you okay?" he asked her.

"I'm fine, but what about you. You're okay right?" she asked hopefully, dreading that his answer would prove otherwise.

"I'm fine if you are," he replied. She knew deep in her heart what that meant. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she rested her head on his chest and began to sob.

"Zelos, you can't leave me. If you die, so do I," she told him.

"If I die, I don't want it to be in vain," he explained to her.

"I didn't deserve this, I never once deserved your kindness," Storm said to him.

"I love you, and I know that you deserve everything you get and much more. I can't offer you enough," Zelos replied, angry that she always put herself down.

"Zelos...don't leave me...please," Storm begged.

Suddenly, some people came up behind Storm to take Zelos to get some medical attention. Storm really wished that Raine was around to help him out, she could do a lot more than doctors could. She was forced to allow them to take Zelos away from her. She was also told that Kratos and Yuan were on their way to help her and that the attackers had been captured.

Storm didn't listen to anything that anyone was saying, all she could think about was the fate of Zelos. She decided that she had to go to the hospital, she didn't want to leave him. She began to pray to whatever deity that would listen to her. No matter how hard she tried the tears wouldn't stop flowing until finally, half way to the hospital she broke down completely. She fell to her knees in the middle of town and began to sob uncontrollably.

Suddenly, Storm felt a hand on her shoulder, she looked behind her, eyes swollen and blood-shot, and saw her father standing next to her.

"Let's go to the hospital," he told her as he helped her stand up. Her father offered her some comfort, but she'd only be okay if Zelos returned to her. She hoped that everything would turn out okay.

* * *

Well, that's it for this chapter. What will happen? I don't know, you'll have to wait and see. Okay, so I do know, but I'm not planning on telling you. Anyway, I figure about 2-3 chapters now. So, get ready for the end here pretty soon, then it's on to the dark ages. Everyone who's been complaining about the peace, you'll like the next story a lot. There will be a lot of dark parts. You all know that I am getting pretty good at writing that, it's obvious because I really suck at this humor stuff, plus this story gets boring for me. That's why I threw this chapter in, hehe... Oh, and if the next few chapters seem short, it's because they are. That's a combination of wanting to finish, writer's block, and the fact that where I stop makes sense. Anyway, click on that button at the bottom of the screen and please review this, okay? Thanks! 


	16. Chapter 16: Emotions

Okay, I decided to update because I really want to start the next story. Sorry ahead of time if these next two chapters are really short because they have ending points that make sense where I put them. Anyway, thanks for all the reviews and I'm glad that everyone is enjoying this. I am really excited for the next story though and I'm sure that everyone is really anxious for it too, along with the entrance of Storm's child. Whose will it be? Anyway, here's the next chapter, enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 16: Emotions 

Storm wasn't able to stay with Zelos as the doctors worked their hardest to save him from his attack. Raine and some of the others were on their way for emotional support. Raine, though, was on her way to see if she was too late to help. Storm hoped that there was still something she could do for him, but she thought that her help was arriving too late.

Storm had been sitting in a field outside the city for a few hours now, trying to stay away from everyone. She didn't want to be around anymore nurses and doctors in the hospital or pedestrians in the city. She wanted to be alone so she left the city. She had stopped crying after Zelos left her side, she didn't want anyone to see her crying and she began to hold it in again. As she sat in the field, she tried to bury her feelings inside as they all tried to force their way out of her. She just couldn't seem to express any emotion without Zelos around and she couldn't bear to think about what he would think.

She felt the wind blow through her hair as she closed her eyes and sighed. She just wanted all the pain to go away, she wished that Zelos wouldn't have saved her, it would have saved her a lot of pain. Storm could handle physical pain, but she couldn't stand emotional pain, especially something like this. Suddenly, someone put their hand on her shoulder. Storm didn't even bother to look at them, or even acknowledge their presence. She could tell that it was Yuan and she didn't want to talk to anyone. She wanted to be left alone.

"Good news Storm. We caught the attackers. They're two ex-Desians, there are still some Desians that we have allowed to proceed with normal lives. Of course, they knew that the punishment for any serious crime is death. We told all of these former Desians this so they have been killed. It was a young couple, Kratos said that he saw them the other day at a diner, but that's all he told me," Yuan told her.

Storm didn't respond at all to anything he was saying. She heard everything he was saying, but she had no response to it, no emotions. She didn't even lift her head to look at him, she continued to stare at the ground.

"Storm, please, say something. This isn't good, you need to talk to someone about how you're feeling. You can't keep burying your emotions," Yuan warned her but Storm didn't budge. Finally, he left to go get Kratos, hoping that he would be able to convince his daughter that she needed to let out her feelings.

Storm was so happy when he left, she wanted everyone to leave her alone. She didn't care if she was burying her emotions. Emotions didn't matter to her if Zelos wasn't there to share them with. Storm laid down on the grass and looked up at the sky before closing her eyes.

Not long after she had her eyes closed she heard footsteps come up next to her. She knew who it was going to be and didn't want to talk.

"Storm?" Kratos asked her, wondering if she was asleep.

He received his answer as Storm flipped over on her side and faced away from him. She kept her eyes closed and tried to get her point across to him.

"Storm, you can't keep doing this. You need to talk to someone," Kratos told her as he sat down next to her. Storm was as stubborn as ever and refused to budge.

"Storm, you know what will happen if you keep this up. I do not want to see you become a lifeless being again. I do not want to lose you again. Please Storm," Kratos pleaded.

Storm once again refused to do anything and wouldn't even look at him. She wasn't going to talk to anyone, not even him. She could feel her pain begin to disappear as she began to lose her emotions. This is what she wanted, she didn't want to feel. If she couldn't feel, she couldn't hurt. One last tear ran down her cheek, containing one last expression of her emotions in it.

Finally, Kratos was called away by Yuan who was waving him back towards Meltokio. Storm was happy that she was finally alone to enjoy the peace of being emotionless. She began to wonder why she had tried so hard to get them back, it was much easier to keep them inside.

Soon, she heard someone else making their way across the field. She decided that she had spent enough time in the field and she was going to get up. Her emotions were buried down deep enough now that she didn't think that anyone could bring them back. She got up and looked back at who was coming. The person coming through the field stopped when they saw her get up. She turned around and couldn't believe what she saw.

It was Zelos and he was healed. He looked fine, almost as if nothing had even happened. Storm didn't know what to make of the situation. She didn't know how it happened but Zelos was alive. She wasn't sure if she was dreaming what she was seeing, it couldn't really be him. It didn't matter who it was though, illusion or not, her emotions began to resurface as tears began to well up in her eyes. She ran towards Zelos who braced himself for impact.

Storm knocked him over as she threw her arms around him, tears now flowing down her face. She was sobbing again, but these were tears of joy, this was no illusion.

"Zelos...you're okay. How did you get healed?" she asked him.

"Raine came and she was able to heal me. She's pretty good at those healing techniques now," Zelos replied as he added a chuckle.

Storm was smiling so much, her emotions were exploding out of her and she couldn't hold them back at all. Finally, after regaining her composure, Storm got angry with Zelos.

"You jerk!" Storm yelled at him as she pushed him.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Why did you jump in front? You could have died. I don't think I could have lived if you died," she yelled, tears threatening to fall once again.

"I couldn't just stand back and watch that person kill you and our child. What do you think I would have done?" Zelos replied as he pulled her close to him.

"You're such an idiot sometimes," Zelos said as she nestled her head in his chest. She wanted to stay there like that with him forever. Unfortunately, something came up. Storm winced in pain and Zelos pulled her away from him.

"What's the matter?" Zelos asked her, worry in his voice.

"I think I just had a contraction," Storm told him, causing his eyes to get huge.

* * *

Well, that's it for this chapter. I really hope that everyone liked it. Okay, I think that the next chapter is the last, I think. Anyway, the suspense will be over next chapter, I know that for sure. Anyway, please review and tell me what you thought. Thanks! 


	17. Chapter 17: To Be A Family

All right, it's time for the moment that we've all been waiting for. I won't keep anyone waiting, here's the last chapter. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 17: To Be A Family

Storm and Zelos were trying their best to get back to Meltokio so they could get to the hospital. Storm hadn't told anyone that she was having back pains all day, but she wasn't too concerned about herself anyway. Storm's contractions were beginning to occur in a rhythm and she was really getting uncomfortable. She really didn't like the idea of walking all the way back to Meltokio.

Kratos, Yuan, and the others were all waiting for them outside of the city. When they saw Storm and Zelos coming they were expecting completely different news than they got.

"What's wrong?" Kratos asked as Zelos came up to them, Storm's arm thrown over his shoulder.

"Storm's going to have the baby," Zelos replied.

"Are you kidding?" Lloyd asked, astonished at the news.

"Does it look like I'm kidding!" Storm yelled at him.

"Hurry, let's get her up to the hospital," Raine told them as they helped Storm get to their destination.

Once they got inside, a nurse pulled up a wheelchair for Storm so she wouldn't have to walk anymore. Zelos took the wheelchair and made his way up to the front desk so they could get her in. As Storm was pulled up to the front desk she noticed who was sitting at the counter. Her old nemesis, Joan, was seated at the computer. Storm immediately made Zelos stop the wheelchair as she began to protest.

"Like hell I'm gonna have my baby here. Either we go or she goes," Storm said stubbornly. Zelos and Kratos looked at each other, both knowing that Storm was one who wasn't going to budge.

It took a fair amount of money to get the hospital to give Joan the rest of the day off so Storm could have her baby in the hospital. Storm told the manager all about her and told him to watch her carefully, explaining a few of the times she'd run into her. Zelos eventually paid the manager Joan's salary for the day so he could send her home.

"Take that you old bag," Storm laughed as Joan was on her way out the door.

"You're the one who paid for my day off. I see no problem with this," Joan laughed at her.

"Well, at least I have a really hot husband," Storm shot back as Joan finally left the hospital.

* * *

Finally, they were able to get Storm into a room to have the baby. Yuan, Kratos, Lloyd, and the others were sitting outside the room waiting for any sort of news. Zelos went in with Storm to help along. It was a few more hours before the baby really started to come, but Storm was already fed up with it all.

"I hate you Zelos. I'm off men forever," Storm screamed at him through her contractions.

"They always say that," the nurse reassured Zelos who was beginning to feel really bad for Storm.

"Yeah, but I mean it!" Storm yelled at the nurse and Zelos.

* * *

Yuan was pacing up and down the hall, wondering what the outcome would be. Only Kratos really understood why he was so nervous, but he tried to give Yuan his space for the time being, he was still mad at him after all. Genis, Colette, and Presea were playing a game of cards, while Lloyd went to check out the hospital food. Sheena decided to go along with him to make sure he didn't eat any though.

"Well Kratos, you're about to become a grandpa. How's it feel?" Raine asked Kratos.

"I don't know. It's strange I can still remember the day that she was born and it seems like yesterday. I still can't believe the fact that she's going to be a mother. I'm still getting used to being a father," Kratos admitted.

"Well, you seem to have done well so far," Raine told him.

Lloyd and Sheena came back in about twenty minutes, Sheena helping support a very sick looking Lloyd.

"What happened to him?" Genis asked.

"He got excited by all the food, ate way too much, and got sick," Sheena answered. "I told you not to eat that pie," Sheena scolded Lloyd.

"But it was blueberry," Lloyd whined as he laid down on the floor before groaning.

* * *

"Congratulations, it's a baby girl," the nurse told Storm and Zelos as she handed Storm the baby wrapped in a pink delivering blanket. The first thing Storm did when she looked at the baby was to look at her daughter's ears. If Yuan was the father, her ears would be pointed. Storm looked and saw that her daughter had two human ears. Zelos was the father. She then proceeded to look over her daughter, instinctively checking to see if she had ten fingers and ten toes. She then looked over to her husband to reassure him.

"Zelos, come look at _your _daughter," Storm told him, getting a huge smile from Zelos as he looked down at his daughter. She was so cute and looked a lot like Storm in the face. The two hugged as they stared down at the life that they had brought into the world. Neither had felt this way about anything in the world. Zelos kissed his wife before something popped in his head.

"What are we going to name her?" he asked her. Storm smiled at him before she confidently answered him.

* * *

"You may all come in now," the nurse told the large group that was congregated outside the delivery room. Kratos and Yuan practically charged through the room. The two made their way over to the couple as the others congregated around them.

"Oh, it's a little girl," Sheena said as she noticed the pink blanket. Yuan hovered over Storm and looked at the baby, noticing that her ears were not pointed. He sighed and looked over at Storm.

"Congratulations you two," he told them.

"Thanks," Storm replied. "Here Dad, say hi to her," she told Kratos as she handed him her daughter. Kratos held the baby, showing emotions that were not usually exposed to the world. He couldn't help but smile at the now sleeping baby girl.

"What's her name?" Colette asked happily.

"Anna...," Storm replied.

Kratos looked over at Storm as he desperately tried to hold back tears at the thought of his wife. He was so happy for Storm and he didn't want her to see him cry. He had to be strong for her. He was able to hold in his tears but wasn't going to hold back his smile for Storm.

"It's a good name," he told her.

* * *

After everyone had left for the night Storm thought of something that she wanted to talk to Zelos about. He came over to her and sat down next to her bed.

"What's bothering you?" he asked her.

"I was just thinking that maybe we shouldn't tell Anna about our powers, you know... about angels, until she's older. I'm afraid that she may not have any powers or something might happen if she tells others about it. What if there are other people out there who would try to kill her, like they tried to kill me?" Storm asked him.

"If you really think that's best for her," Zelos replied.

"I do...but powers don't matter now anyway. What does matter is that we're family now," Storm told him. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, and I love Anna," he replied.

* * *

Well, that's the end. Don't feel disappointed if you wanted more of a description on Anna. We'll find out more about what she looks like in the next story when she's older. Anyway, I hope you liked it and please review. I must thank everyone who made this story what it is. Kratos Wilder, Silvan Arrow, SummonerofVerius, Daniel the Dragonfly, Ohmygodiminafire, and Mez10000. Thanks for sticking with me for so long, you guys are awesome! What would I do without you? Also, a big, big thank you to Raspedra Twilight and Kararu Rinamino for all their help and inspiration with this story. You guys helped me get out of writer's block so many times. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I really can't thank you enough. And last, but not least, thanks to my dedicated readers. Although you may be silent, your numbers speak for you. Without you guys reading this, I wouldn't keep writing. But, I ove to hear from you too so review if you can, then I know what you like and don't like. Thanks everyone, please review. Thanks! 


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